My Sanctuary
by Jade LaBeouf
Summary: YuffieXReno. Yuffie's ambition to find love leads her to a most unlikely place. But with an old rival of ShinRa's appearing on the scene, can their love withstand the dangers that lie ahead for them? Rated for language and sexual content in later chapter
1. Chapter 1

I must admit, the pairing of Yuffie and Reno was accidental for me. As strange as the couple seems, I've grown to love it. It's kinda cute! I will also admit that I have never played the FF7 game, only watched my sister play it. So if I make a mistake with something, don't shoot me! I've seen Advent Children hundreds of times, so that should count for something.

Izzy - This story is for you! (Not really, but you wanted me to post it, so here it is!)

Chapter One

"Jenna...my friends won't accept us, and now we'll probably be hated by everyone we know. But it doesn't matter, because—I love you!"

"I love you, too, Jason!"

"_Aww, how sweet!_" the sarcastic voice of Yuffie echoed throughout the theater. "This movie blows. How cliché..." She shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth and stared sullenly at the fifteen foot on-screen kiss. Movies like this were so predictable. "That could never happen in real life..."

"You never know!" Yuffie jumped when she heard this familiar voice whisper next to her. "True love doesn't only happen in fairy tales!" The smiling face of Aerith had appeared beside her.

"What are you doing here?" Yuffie asked as the credits began to roll and the lights came on.

"Seeing a movie with Cloud," Aerith winked and pointed behind her to where Cloud was sitting uncomfortably a few rows back. "I've wanted to see this movie for some time, but I didn't want to go alone. It _is_ a romance movie, you know!"

Yuffie smiled nervously. "I guess this wasn't the best choice of films to see alone!"

"You didn't have to see it alone. You should go out more and meet a nice guy..." Aerith grinned mischievously.

The female ninja crossed her arms and frowned. "Why are you interested in getting me hooked up all of the sudden? What's so wrong with being single?"

"Nothing's wrong with it! But don't you ever find yourself wishing you had someone whose arms you can fall into? Someone you can share those lonely moments with?"

"You're starting to sound like that guy on the movie we just saw!" Yuffie laughed. "Listen, I've got a future planned out for myself. So right now, I don't have time to think about a relationship. And besides—being single and free is way better than committing your time to one guy!"

"Hey you two." Cloud walked up to them from the aisle. "You know the movie is over, right?" The tone in his voice suggested that he was glad it was time to leave.

"I bet you weren't even paying any attention to the movie, Cloud," said Yuffie. "You had your eyes on something else, didn't you?" She grinned.

Cloud glared at her, knowing exactly what she meant. "So, Yuffie, how's your new singing career going?" He said quickly, changing the subject.

Yuffie's eyes suddenly lit up. "I sent my demo CD to the hottest record companies in Midgar. One of them will probably call me in a few days with the good news that I, Yuffie Kisaragi, am going to become a star!"

"I'm happy for you," Cloud nodded, trying hard to sound sincere. "So, when you become a famous singer, will you move out of my house?"

"Oh, just can't wait to kick me out, can you?" Yuffie poked his chest and grinned. "Perhaps I'll stick around a bit longer then, just to annoy you!"

"You could," said Cloud, pushing her hand away with slight annoyance. "Or maybe you'll meet a good looking celebrity boyfriend and move in with him. Then you can annoy him instead."

"Argh! Not you too!" Yuffie shook her empty soda drink at Cloud. "I told Aerith I'm not interested in hooking up with anyone! So don't even ask!" She stalked off toward the door, leaving the two of them in the aisle.

Cloud looked after her in confusion. "On second thought, no celebrity will ever be able to handle _that!_"

Yuffie left the theater in a huff. Perhaps she should have chosen a different movie to see. Not just because she didn't have a date or anything, but the movie was really lame. How could anyone possibly find the one person they want to spend the rest of their life with so soon? And in such a romantic way, too? It just seemed too good to be possible.

Aerith said it was possible. _But then again, Aerith believes in lots of things,_ she told herself. _And she already found the one she wants to spend her life with._ She sighed. Perhaps true love was possible after all.

"So why shouldn't I be able to find it?" she said to herself. Suddenly, she was filled with a burning desire to find out the answer. If Aerith could do it, why shouldn't she? Yuffie smiled and felt a sudden happiness arise inside her. Her true love was out there, somewhere. All she had to do was find him!

But all those things she said to Aerith about being single...it would be embarrassing if she didn't stand by them now. So her little mission for Mr. Right would have to remain a secret. No problem—she was a ninja after all!

_First, I'll ask the gang about their experiences, so I'll know what to look for,_ she thought. _And then I'll—_

"Oof!" Her shoulder hit someone who was passing by her on the sidewalk. "Hey, watch it!" she said angrily, not looking at the stranger.

"You ran into me!" he answered with irritation. Yuffie looked back at the person, who was now walking the way she had just come. She recognized the crazy red hair instantly. It was Reno, one of the Turks working for the head of the Shinra Electric Power Company. The Turks used to be enemies of Cloud's gang, but after Sephiroth's defeat the rivalry had pretty much died down.

Yuffie sneered. "That's no way to talk to a lady, you know."

Reno stopped and turned around, a surprised look on his face. However, the expression quickly changed to one of mischief as he answered, "Well, you're not exactly a lady now, are you?"

Yuffie crossed her arms. "You haven't changed a bit! You're still as rude as ever!"

"And you're still as immature as ever!" Reno grinned. Yuffie glared at him. Although Reno was annoying and sometimes immature, she had to admit he wasn't bad looking. If he straightened up his sloppy attire a bit, he'd probably be even more attractive...but then again, the messy look seemed to suit him best.

Reno turned around and waved her away. "I've got better things to do. See you around, princess."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. What a jerk, she thought. Oh, well. She didn't have time to worry about something as trivial as his insults. She had a soul mate to find.

She headed back to Cloud's place. She turned into an empty alley and walked with a happy spring in her step. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She kept walking, pretending she didn't hear them. Then the footsteps stopped. Yuffie stopped as well, wondering if the person had gone. She turned around quickly, ready to defend herself, but there was no one there. She let out a sigh of relief and turned to continue walking home—and came face to face with a tall, cloaked figure.

"Eek!" She screamed, jumping back. "Dammit, Vincent, don't do that!"

"It isn't safe for young girls to be walking down dark allies at night, especially in this city," said Vincent, his voice not really full of concern.

"I'm fine! I'm a ninja, remember?" Yuffie said annoyed. "Why does everyone see me as some helpless little girl?"

"Maybe if you'd keep your head out of the clouds and use your brain more, we'd all think better of you." Yuffie's mouth opened in shock at this remark. Vincent turned and began to walk away.

Yuffie was about to insult him in return, but she suddenly remembered her secret mission. "Hey, Vincent?" She bounded up to him, falling into step beside him. "I was wondering...that is, if you don't mind my asking...um, have you ever been in love?"

Vincent's voice became sharp and cold. "Yes, I do mind you asking."

Yuffie frowned. Vincent was a tough shell to crack, but she knew that with the right words, she could maybe get him to open up just a little. "So—when did you know it was true love?"

"I just told you I'm not answering."

"What was her name?"

"Quit while you're ahead."

Yuffie knew he wouldn't answer her, but she was compelled to ask one final question. "Did you ever sleep with her?"

"Goodnight, Yuffie." Vincent wrapped himself in his cloak, and just like that, he was gone.

Yuffie sighed. She supposed he wasn't the best person to ask about love. But that didn't matter; she had plenty more people to ask when she got back to the bar.

Yuffie began her quest the next day. She bought a black notebook to record her findings for future reference and went to ask her friends about their past romantic experiences. She found Cid in the hangar doing repair work on his airship. He was carefully tightening a loose bolt when she snuck up behind him. She took a deep breath and:

"HEY CID!" She yelled.

"ARGH!" He fell back in alarm, knocking over the bucket of bolts, scattering them across the ground. "Damn! Yuffie! What the hell do you want!"

"And a good morning to you, too!" Yuffie answered cheerfully. "I just have a few questions to ask you."

"About what?" he asked in an irritated tone, scooping up the bolts.

"About love."

Cid stopped and looked at her, a confused expression on his face. "Listen, I know I'm sort of like a father figure and all, but this is really something you should talk to Tifa or Aerith about..."

"No! Not like that!" Yuffie waved her arms. "I want to know about _your_ love life. About the first time you knew you were in love. How did it feel?"

"Oh, well!" Cid scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I remember that feeling..."

"Oh, but if it's something dirty and perverted like I'd expect, please keep it to yourself!"

"What!" Cid waved his wrench at her dangerously. "Well, if that's what you think of me, then forget it! I'm not telling you nothing!"

Yuffie pouted. "Aw, come on Cid!"

"Nope! You've insulted me! Now get out of here, I've got work to do!"

Yuffie sighed and left the hangar. She had a knack for pissing people off unintentionally. But despite this, she was determined to continue her search. She decided to ask Barrett, but when she did, he started to cry and ran off shouting that he had something in his eye. Tifa explained that her love for Cloud was built on friendship, and Cloud wasn't interested in talking about such a topic. The best answer she got was from Aerith, who suspected that Yuffie had a crush on someone, though she denied it. It was true, after all; she hadn't found the love of her life yet.

"I didn't just fall in love right away," Aerith had told her. "It happened over time. The more time I spent with him, the more I got to talk with him. He's always so kind to me, and wants to help me. He makes me smile. That's what I love about him the most."

_He makes her smile,_ Yuffie noted in her book. She scratched the back of her head in thought. Lots of people made her smile: Cid, whenever he did something stupid on accident; Barrett, whenever he got angry with someone and went on a cussing spree; even Vincent, who never showed a trace of emotion. But they were only her friends, and she usually laughed at them when they did something stupid. Would she ever meet someone who made her smile because she loved them?

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A/N: The chapters are kind of long. The good stuff comes later, of course, so you'll have to wait! Review and tell me what you think! Flames will be used to make me some toast!


	2. Chapter 2

One thing I forgot to mention in the first chapter: I know that Aerith is supposed to be dead, but for the sake of my story and because I like her, she is alive.

I'll probably try to update at least once a week, seeing as how school is starting up soon. But anyway, this chapter was a lot of fun to write. I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter Two

Yuffie decided to take a walk around the city that evening. She looked around the dismal place, searching for a sign of romance. She saw a pair of teenagers holding hands, but that was all. _I guess there's not much love blooming in this craphole,_ she thought.

And then she saw them. Walking into a bar across the street was none other than the Turks. And even more amazing, their boss was with them! Rufus Shinra, head of the most powerful company in Midgar, was going out for a drink with his bodyguards. This was something she had to see with her own eyes. And besides, Shinra was a refined man—he probably had his share of heartaches.

Yuffie ran across the street and opened the door. The bartender looked up automatically and grunted, "Hey, girl. How old are you?"

"Old enough." Yuffie replied curtly. She started to head over to the table where Shinra was, but the bartender grabbed her arm.

"We don't serve minors. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he said firmly.

"You can't do this! I'm legal! And I'm not even here for a drink! Let me go!" Yuffie struggled to get free of the man's grip when suddenly another arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"It's alright, she's with me." Yuffie looked up into the face of Reno. He winked at her and led her to the table where the rest of the Turks were seated. They all looked at her with surprise.

"Um, thanks for that...but I could have handled it," Yuffie said coolly.

"Didn't look that way to me. So how about _acting_ your age next time?" said Reno, pulling another chair up to the table for her.

"My god! I wish people would stop treating me like a child!" Yuffie plopped down into the chair, annoyed. She suddenly felt embarrassed when she noticed that everyone at the table was looking at her. She was in their territory; now was not the time to complain about her problems.

"I remember you," said Rufus Shinra. "You're...Yuffie, correct? Cloud's ninja friend. You've grown up quite a bit since we last met."

"Thank you, Mr. Shinra," Yuffie answered politely. _He sounds like a pedophile,_ she thought to herself, trying to hold back a snicker.

"Please, call me Rufus," he smiled. "And you know my associates Tseng, Elena, Reno, and Rude." Yuffie shook their hands in turn, all except for Reno, who just contently drank his bottle of beer. "May I buy you a drink?" Rufus asked Yuffie.

"Oh, no, you don't have to..."

"What? You don't drink?"

"It's not that, I just don't want you to go through the trouble of—"

"Nonsense, it's quite alright," Rufus insisted. "What'll you have? Wine? Tequila?"

"I'll have a beer," said Yuffie. Rufus nodded and went to get the drink from the bartender.

Reno whistled with amusement. "Ooh, big drink for a little girl!" he exclaimed.

"I'm not a little girl!" Yuffie rounded on him.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" he asked suspiciously.

"As a matter of fact, I am!" Rufus came back with her bottle and handed it to her. Yuffie opened it and looked at it. She was old enough to drink, but she never had a single drop in her life. But she had already accepted the offer from Rufus and wanted to prove that she was no little girl. So she took a deep breath then took a swig. It tasted awful.

"So, um..." she tried to keep herself from coughing up the alcohol. "What are you all doing out here?"

"Just relaxing," said Elena. "We've been busy at work, so we needed a break."

"What are you doing here?" Rude asked Yuffie.

The ninja paused. She hadn't really thought of an excuse. She couldn't just say she was following them to bombard them with silly questions about love. So instead she said, "I needed a break too. I'm staying at Cloud's place and he's dragging me around like a slave!"

"You help with his delivery service?" asked Rufus.

"No, I help tend the bar," she answered. Honestly, she had never helped. Mostly she would hang around the customers and listen to their stories. But she would every now and then steal some food from the kitchen when Tifa wasn't looking... "So, how are things at Shinra Company?"

"We're still re-building," said Rufus. "But as soon as the company gets back on its feet, we'll be able to help the people of this city the right way."

"So I guess taking over the world is no longer an option?" Yuffie said half-jokingly. When no one laughed at her attempt at a joke, she forced another gulp of beer down her throat to hide her embarrassment.

"You're so weird," said Reno.

"What? What do you mean by weird!" Yuffie retaliated.

Reno laughed. "Nothing. I just like making you freak out. You get peeved so easily."

Yuffie blushed and turned away. What a jerk!

The group talked some more about what was currently going on in the world, and went through several drinks. Before she noticed, Yuffie had gone through three bottles of beer and was finishing her fourth. The taste didn't even bother her anymore. It wasn't until Rufus mentioned something about loving the color white that she remembered why she had come there in the first place.

Everyone (except for Tseng, who hadn't said much this entire time) was laughing at a joke that Reno was telling them. The only sober ones were Tseng and Rude, who could hold their liquor. Elena kept giggling uncontrollably at everything and Yuffie and Reno kept trying to out drink each other. Yuffie was enjoying the night, but she knew she had to ask her questions before the night was over.

"Rufus," Yuffie said, suddenly becoming serious, although still quite drunk. "I was wondering...there are a lot of things you said you love. Flowers, the color white, Norwegian pastries—"

"I never said that. But Norwegian pastries are rather tasty!"

"Yes, yes they are...I mean no! That's not the point! My question to you, sir, is this..." she paused for dramatic effect, or perhaps it was just the alcohol taking effect, "Have you ever been in love?"

Rufus closed his eyes in deep thought. "Hmm...It was so long ago...but I remember it like it was yesterday. We were young, only children. Yes, she was so beautiful and strong. I fell in love the moment she punched me."

"Punched you?" Everyone looked at him incredulously.

"Yes. She wasn't really the gentle type. But I think it was just her way of expressing her love."

"What a violent relationship that must have been," Reno snickered, opening another bottle.

"Well, I guess now that I think about it, it was more of a one-sided love," Rufus folded his hands in front of his face and rested his chin on them. "She had her heart set on someone else...her friend since childhood." He paused, as if not sure he wanted to go on. "She probably doesn't even remember me. At least, not how I used to be."

Elena sighed and patted his back reassuringly. "Oh, sir. We didn't know..."

"Who do _you_ like, Elena?" Yuffie asked the blonde haired Turk.

Elena looked at her nervously. "Um...no one really, no one you know..."

Yuffie eyed her suspiciously, seeing double. "Is it Tseng?" she asked absently. Elena glanced at Tseng quickly, her cheeks turning red. Tseng didn't seem to notice though. Yuffie grinned. It was patently obvious that Elena was in love with Tseng.

"How about you, Rude?" Reno turned to his silent companion. "Do you have someone special? Come on, tell us!"

"There's no one," Rude answered simply.

"Liar." Reno smiled mischievously. He suddenly put his arm around Yuffie and pulled her toward him. "How about Yuffie, here?" he asked Rude. "She's a fine piece of work. Bet you wish you could try her out?"

Yuffie blushed. "Get off!" she pushed him away. "You're so rude! How dare you talk about me like that? Especially when I'm standing right here! Actually, I'm sitting...you know what?" She glared at him angrily.

Reno stared back at her, waiting for the rest. "What?"

Yuffie raised an eyebrow. "What, what? I didn't say anything. You're not making any sense." She went back to finishing her bottle, once again forgetting the reason she came to the bar. She was really drunk.

Eventually, Rufus decided that it was time for them to leave. They finished their drinks and started to get up when suddenly someone bumped into Yuffie's shoulder, causing her to spill the last of her beer all over the front of her shirt.

"Argh!" She looked at her soaked top and turned to yell at the guy. He was a tall, muscular man, and mean-looking, too. "Watch where you're going, you ugly brute!"

The man turned around, his face red with anger, or perhaps from drinking so much. "What was that!" he growled, glaring at her menacingly.

"She didn't mean anything by it, honest!" Reno intervened. "She's just a little—"

"She's just a little girl," the man said, smirking. "You need to learn you some manners, girly!"

Yuffie glared daggers at him and slammed her mug down on the table. Then all of a sudden, she let out a battle cry and rammed the man in the chest. The man was shocked, and so was everyone else in the bar. Before anyone could do anything, Yuffie lifted up her leg and sent her foot crashing down on the man's head, knocking him into the table and unconscious. Everyone stared, including Rufus and the Turks.

"Hey!" Another guy shouted. "She just took down our boss!"

"Get her!" shouted another one. About seven or eight men came running toward Yuffie, fists raised and shouting death threats. Reno moved to help, but Rufus told him to wait. "I think she can handle this," he said, an amused grin on his face.

The first guy that approached Yuffie got a fist in the face and the next one got kicked in the stomach. One guy grabbed her shoulder and she tossed him across the room into another guy, and someone tried to sneak up behind her with a broken bottle. But she could hear him—she was a ninja, after all. He received a very unpleasant kick in the groin. Yuffie grabbed a chair and swung it down on another man's head then threw the broken legs at the next two with such precision, you couldn't even tell she had been drinking.

The bar was a mess now. People slowly emerged from their hiding places when they heard the last guy drop to the floor. Yuffie turned to look at Rufus and the Turks. "Call me little, will he?" She picked up her mug again, but realized it was empty and tossed it. Suddenly she felt faint and began to fall, but Reno caught her before she hit the floor.

"I think it's time to leave," said Rufus, leading the way. He put the money for the drinks on the table and added quietly, "They'll never let us come to _this_ bar again..."

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A/N: Review if you like it so far!


	3. Chapter 3

Yay! A makeout scene! (However short it may be!) Anyway, please enjoy!

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Chapter Three

When they left the bar, Yuffie was a little disoriented from fighting. Reno offered to walk her home, so while the others headed home, they headed for Cloud's place. Yuffie laughed. She was a first time alcoholic, so of course she wasn't handling it well.

"Where are we going?" she asked, falling against Reno's side.

"Home."

Yuffie giggled. "You don't live with me, silly! But you can come in if you want."

"No thanks, I'll pass," Reno smiled.

"Aw, come on! You know you want to! I want you to! We'll keep it a secret and no one will know you're there!" Yuffie grabbed his arm and led him to the door of a public bathroom. She put a finger to her lips and went "Shh! Shh!"

Reno grinned. Yuffie was probably so drunk she thought the bathroom was the entrance to her room. He was about to correct her, but she insisted that he do the shushing gesture as well.

Yuffie shushed him again, moving closer to him, backing him up against the door. He opened his mouth to say something, but she put her finger over his lips and said, "Shh...Did you mean what you said? About me being a fine piece of work?"

Reno stared at her, not sure what to say. How could she remember that when she was so drunk? "Sure," he answered after a while.

Yuffie smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Wanna try me out?" she smiled deviously. She leaned close to his face to kiss him. Reno started to lean forward as well, but suddenly pushed her off gently.

"You're drunk, Yuffie," he said. "You don't know what you're doing."

Yuffie sighed, annoyed. "No, _you _don't know what you're doing. You said you wanted me!"

Reno was surprised. "I never said that! You're misinterpreting what I said! You drank too much."

"I am _not_ drunk!" Yuffie crossed her arms.

"You sure about that?"

Yuffie turned toward him, a defiant expression on her face. "Yes!"

"Then you won't regret anything you do now?"

"No!"

"Alright, then. Prove it." He pulled her close to him again and kissed her roughly on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Reno slid his hand up and down her back. He put one hand on her bottom and ran his other hand through her short hair. She let out a pleasant moan.

Yuffie pushed him through the bathroom door and onto the closed toilet seat. She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands up and down his chest. He closed his eyes; the feel of her soft hands felt so good. She pulled her tank top over her head and continued kissing him. Reno grabbed her breasts and massaged them, tempted to unhook her bra. Yuffie started to undo his belt, but Reno suddenly snapped back to his senses when he felt her hands reach down his pants.

"No! Wait!" He grabbed her shoulders to stop her.

"What? Why are we stopping?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"We...we can't do _that,_" he said, though inside he desperately wanted to. He knew it wouldn't be fair to Yuffie. She was drunk, and even though she said she knew what she was doing, if she woke up the next morning and discovered her virginity was gone...well, Reno didn't want to go there.

He picked up Yuffie's shirt and handed it back to her. She looked at it with disappointment but grabbed it and put it back on. Reno buttoned his shirt back the way it was and stood up. He reached down to help Yuffie get up, but she pushed his hand away and stumbled out the door.

Reno looked around to see if anyone had seen them go into the bathroom. No one was in sight. He left the bathroom and followed Yuffie the rest of the way to Cloud's house. When they got there, Reno waved to her. "I'll see you around."

"If you're lucky!" Yuffie replied. She stormed inside, leaving Reno outside, looking confused.

Tifa was closing up the bar and looked up as Yuffie came past her. "Hey, Yuffie. Where've you been?"

"Nowhere," she answered, stumbling on her way up the stairs. Tifa looked after her with suspicion but didn't say anything. Yuffie went into her room and flopped onto the bed, exhausted. She soon fell asleep, blurred visions of the night's events playing in her mind until they faded into dreams.

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Yuffie was still asleep when Cloud came to wake her up. "Yuffie, time to get up," he said. She mumbled something from under the covers but didn't move. "Come on. It's almost noon. Get up!" Cloud pulled the blanket off and Yuffie curled into a ball, shielding her eyes from the light of the sun.

"Stop talking so loud, my head hurts!" she cried.

Cloud frowned. "So Tifa's suspicions were right," he said. "You were drinking last night."

"Was not!" Yuffie protested, sitting up reluctantly. "I was just tired, that's all."

"Sure you were," Cloud threw the blanket back at her. "How else would you explain your shirt, soaked in alcohol?" He held up the shirt she was wearing last night. She grabbed it from him angrily.

"In any case, good luck with your hangover. It's not going to be fun." He exited the room, leaving Yuffie alone with her headache.

She eventually got up and dressed, taking some medicine for her headaches. She felt awful and didn't want to go very far from the house, just in case. She tried to remember everything that had happened last night, but it all came back in pieces. She couldn't even remember whether or not she asked Rufus or the Turks the question she had meant to ask.

She was surprised to find the whole gang waiting for her downstairs, gathered around the counter of the bar.

"Um, hey everyone! What's up?" she asked, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

"We hear you were totally thrashed last night," said Cid with a snicker.

"What! _That's_ what you told everyone!" Yuffie looked at Tifa, who pretended to be cleaning a glass cup, acting like she wasn't part of the conversation.

"Where did you go last night?" asked Cloud.

"None of your business!"

"Were you with Reno?" Aerith asked, smiling. "Tifa saw him walk you here. Did you go out with him last night?"

"More importantly, did you do anything last night that you're gonna regret?" asked Barrett seriously. "I hope you carry condoms."

"Wha-? Fuck you, Barrett!" Yuffie shouted, her face turning red with embarrassment. She suddenly gasped when she saw a familiar red cloak among her inquisitors. "Vincent! You too?"

Vincent stood in the corner, trying to hide in the shadows. He shrugged his shoulders and replied without much interest, "I didn't ask to be here. They forced me."

"Listen Yuffie, we're just concerned," said Cloud.

"Concerned my ass! You're all just treating me like a child, like always!" Yuffie threw up her arms in exasperation. "Yes, I was drinking last night! Yes, I was with the Turks! But I—"

"Wait, you were with _all_ of them?" asked Cid. They all looked at her in surprise.

"What does it matter? I didn't do anything." She felt her head begin to throb in pain. "The point is that I am old enough to do what I want to! I know you say you're all worried and stuff, but you can't treat me like some mutt on a short leash! For God's sake, you even give Marlene and Denzel more freedom than me!" She stormed past them and headed to her room. "Now leave me alone with my hangover that I proudly acquired _myself!_"

"Yuffie, come back here!" Cloud shouted after her. They all heard her door slam shut. Cloud sighed.

"She's acting even more immature than usual," said Vincent, heading for the door, glad he was able to finally leave.

"She just has a lot on her mind," said Aerith. She sighed happily. "I'm telling you, it's gotta be love!"

"Love?" Cid scoffed. "Who would ever love _that?_"

"Now, Cid, don't be mean," said Tifa, putting away the glass she had been cleaning. "But still...hanging out with the Turks? Interesting choice of drinking companions, wouldn't you say?"

Cloud nodded. "But they're not all bad. I know they wouldn't do anything to harm Yuffie. I don't think she did anything bad." Everyone mostly agreed with him but still had their suspicions. Aerith smiled to herself as she tried to imagine Yuffie and Reno as a couple; she knew it was bound to happen someday. Call it women's intuition.

Yuffie wanted to get as far away from all of them as possible, but she knew she wouldn't get very far with her headache. So she resolved to sit on the roof, where she hoped no one would find her. Then she began to think about last night, trying to remember everything that happened. She remembered being at the bar, but everything after that was hazy.

"I just hope I didn't do something I'll regret," she laughed to herself.

"You said you wouldn't regret it, so I didn't stop you." Yuffie jumped when she heard this new voice beside her. There at the ladder was Reno, waving with a sly grin. "Good afternoon, princess!"

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A/N: Will Reno tell her about their on-the-spot makeout session? Find out in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry, I'm a bit late in updating! But now, Reno and Yuffie are going to have a little chat...will Yuffie find out the truth? How will she react? Read on to find out!

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Chapter Four

"Are you stalking me or something?" Yuffie asked, lying down and relaxing.

"Of course not," Reno answered, climbing up and sitting down next to her, "You were so drunk last night. I just came by to see how you were doing."

"Sure," she said sarcastically. "So, you walked me home, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did I, uh...do anything? Anything embarrassing?"

Reno was silent for a minute. Then he looked at her seriously and said, "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Oh, god!" Yuffie put a hand on her forehead. "I knew it! Please tell me I kept my clothes on!"

"Well...most of them."

"Oh my god!" She sat up, covering her chest with her arms. "Did you see anything!"

"I didn't just see...I touched."

Yuffie's face became red with embarrassment and she turned away from him. This was out of control! "W-what do you mean by that? We didn't...do it, did we?"

"No! No...Look, we were both very drunk, and the bathroom was there, so—"

"We did it in a bathroom!"

"We didn't do it! We just...we made out." Yuffie glanced at him for a second. Reno's face was as red as hers, almost matching the color of his hair. "It wasn't your fault, you were drunk after all...but I shouldn't have encouraged it...sorry..."

Yuffie looked down at her feet and sighed. "No, it's okay. Just as long as nothing extreme happened, I guess. But it doesn't mean anything, so don't get any ideas!"

"No, of course not..."

Now Yuffie began to remember pieces of it; the bathroom, the feel of his hands on her breasts. She shuddered as she remembered the feeling. And then the kisses. Oh, she remembered the kisses. Yuffie touched her lips as she thought of his mouth on hers, the pressure of the kisses changing...

"Hey, Yuffie?" She was broken out of her trance when Reno spoke. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a bite to eat. Get your mind off that hangover of yours." Yuffie looked at him in surprise. "But if you don't want to, I completely understand..."

"What? No! I mean, why not? I need something to do." He smiled and began to descend the ladder, saying he knew a few good places. _Is he trying to make up for_ _taking advantage of me last night?_ Yuffie wondered. She sighed. _Well, In addition to good looks, he's not a bad kisser, I'll give him that._

Reno took her to a park where there was a vendor selling chicken yakitori. He bought two for each of them and then they sat on a bench under a cherry blossom tree that was beginning to bloom.

"Spring is almost here," said Yuffie, admiring the new buds on the branches above her head. "I love looking at the cherry blossoms. Maybe I'll write a song about them..."

"A song?" asked Reno, already starting on his second yakitori. "Why? You gonna become a singer or something?"

"As a matter of fact, I am! I sent a demo CD to some of the hottest record companies in Midgar!" She grinned as she began to imagine the fame and fortune. "It'll be awesome!"

"I didn't know the music industry was back on its feet already," said Reno thoughtfully. "Well, good luck with that. Are you any good?"

Yuffie was silent for a moment. "Well, I think I am..."

Reno looked at her, realizing he had just made her suddenly unsure of her goal. "I bet you'll become famous within a months time. I'd like to hear a sample, though. If it's alright with you."

"What?" Yuffie blushed. "Oh, no! I couldn't. I'm not that great...and I don't know what to sing."

Reno smiled. "Well, if you can't even sing in front of me, what makes you think you'll make it big? I'm not trying to be mean, but if you don't have the guts to reach for what you want, you'll never make it on your own."

Yuffie looked at her feet with disappointment. "I know you're right, but you don't have to say it so harshly..."

"It's a sad truth, I know." He threw his bare yakitori stick and napkin in the trash and sighed comfortably.

Yuffie looked at him thoughtfully. "You seem to know a lot about going for the things you want. And you're right; I'll never make it on my own...But everyone I know doesn't really give a damn about my ambitions...which is why _you're_ going to help me."

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Trying to break into such a tough business is hard, and I'm gonna need all the help I can get," Yuffie said, suddenly becoming excited. "You have connections with higher ups, so you can help me! We're friends, aren't we? Friends help each other out, they stick by them. So just promise me that you'll be there for me when I need your help. No matter what happens, just promise you'll be there for me. And I'll be there for you."

Reno looked at her and smiled. Then he ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, I promise. Not that I'm ever gonna need _your_ help for anything, but I'll be there."

Yuffie chewed contently on her second piece of yakitori, admiring the cherry blossoms again. They reminded her of the ones back home in Wutai.

"Hey, Yuffie?"

"What?"

"Last night...you asked Shinra a strange question. Something about true love."

Yuffie stared at him for a moment, as if trying to comprehend something. "How come _you_ can remember everything that happened last night?"

"That wasn't my first time drinking, I can hold my liquor!" he couldn't help but grin at the look on her face. "But really—what was that all about? You asked him about when he knew he met his true love. Why?"

Yuffie looked away from him. Now she vaguely remembered asking him and listening to his heartbreaking experience. But she couldn't just tell Reno that she was looking for true love for herself—how embarrassing! So she simply said, "I guess I was just drunk. I don't even remember asking that."

"Oh. Okay."

His silence was making her uncomfortable. "Why do you ask?" she said.

"What? Oh, I don't know. It just seemed kind of random, you know?"

"Oh...right..." Yuffie blushed. "Um, Reno? Since we're on the subject...have _you_ ever been in love?"

Reno cleared his throat and shifted a little. "Well...there is this one girl. But—nah, you don't want to hear about this kind of thing..."

"No, I'm interested!" Yuffie insisted, scooting closer to him on the bench.

"Well," he looked at her for a second then turned the other way. "There is this one girl...I hardly knew her at first, so I didn't think much of her. But the more time I spent with her, the more I felt like I just had to be near her, you know? It's kind of strange, really. I had never felt like that before, about anyone. But as for her...I don't even know how she feels about me."

Yuffie smiled. "Too bad. She must be lucky to have someone care about her like that. But she doesn't even know it."

"I would like to tell her," said Reno, looking her in the eyes, "but I'm afraid of what she'd say."

Yuffie looked back into his cool, blue eyes, unable to turn away. "Maybe she feels the same. Maybe she was just too foolish to realize it until now." She was so transfixed by his eyes that she didn't notice how close they were getting to each other.

"Maybe..." He leaned in closer, close enough to kiss her. Yuffie felt his lips touch hers and pulled away quickly, her face turning red. He looked at her for a moment then turned his head away. "I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment."

"No, it's not your fault, really!" Yuffie looked in the other direction, trying to make herself stop blushing. "Um...thanks for lunch. It was nice of you."

"Oh, no problem."

"Well, I think I better get back home," she said, but she didn't move. "My headache's coming back. I need to lie down for awhile."

"So this is where you two were hiding." They both turned around at the sound of this new voice and spotted Rufus Shinra and the rest of the Turks coming toward them. Rufus smiled. "Reno, did you forget that I needed to have a word with Miss Kisaragi?"

Reno grinned. "Sorry! I guess I kinda forgot."

Yuffie looked at Shinra with a confused look. "You wanted to talk with me? What for? Did I do something wrong last night?"

"No, no! Quite the opposite," Rufus smiled and squeezed in between her and Reno, forcing Reno off the bench. "Actually, I wanted to give you my compliments on your fight against those drunkards last night at the bar."

"Fight..." Yuffie suddenly remembered the several men that tried to attack her and the damage and commotion she must have caused. "Oh, I must have made so much trouble! I didn't get you kicked out, did I?"

"Probably," he answered simply. "But I must say I was rather impressed. I like your style. Are you just as good when sober?"

Yuffie couldn't help but laugh. "I hope so! I didn't train all my life as a ninja for nothing!"

"I see, I see," Rufus glanced at the Turks, still smiling. His voice became serious as he looked at Yuffie and said, "Well, I was sort of hoping that if you didn't have any other previous engagements—would you like to be my new bodyguard?"

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A/N: What's this? Rufus Shinra asking Yuffie to be his bodyguard? What could it mean? You'll have to wait until next time to find out! So until then, review!


	5. Chapter 5

I'm back! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but first I got sick, and then I kinda forgot that I didn't update that weekend and then a few more weeks went by...but anywayz, I'm back! So enjoy the next installment!

Chapter Five

Yuffie blinked, not really sure she heard Rufus correctly. "Wh-what did you say?"

Rufus continued to smile. "I want you to be my bodyguard."

The female ninja looked around at each of the Turks, searching for a hint at a joke. "You're...you're serious?"

"I assure you, I hardly kid about these kinds of things," Rufus said. "You'll be well paid. We have a house in Healin, so a ride will be provided for you. Unless of course, you wish to stay with us—"

"Stay with you? You mean like, move in with you?"

"Yes, it would be more convenient. After all, a bodyguard's job requires the guard to be near the body."

"Wait, wait, wait! Just...rewind!" Yuffie rubbed her temples, trying to grasp the whole situation. "This is so sudden...I mean, why me? There are plenty of people stronger and more experienced than me."

"That is true," agreed Rufus. "But I believe that everyone has the potential to do anything, if they set their mind to it and try their hardest. I know you'll make an excellent bodyguard. And besides—I like you."

"Me?" She pointed to herself, a surprised look on her face.

"There's just something about you I like," said Rufus. His never-ending smile seemed to get even brighter. "You have spunk, and ambition. I like a girl who knows what she wants."

Yuffie grinned slyly. "You're not...hitting on me, are you?"

"Goodness, no!" Rufus laughed. "I'm just saying that I admire you. And I would be honored if you would accept my offer."

Yuffie looked at him thoughtfully and then at the Turks. Tseng and Rude were as expressionless as usual. Elena smiled warmly at her. Reno looked away when she met his gaze, slouching as if he wasn't interested in the current conversation. Yuffie smiled and looked back at Rufus excitedly, "You said I could move in with you guys?"

"Of course!"

"And I'll get paid?"

"Yes."

And I can keep the car?"

"I never said that." He chuckled. "But if you wish to have one, it shall be so."

A large grin spread across Yuffie's face and she held out her hand to him. "I'll do it!"

"Excellent!" He shook her hand to seal the deal. "Glad to have you a part of our family, Miss Kisaragi."

"Call me Yuffie...boss!"

Later that day, after discussing the basics of what she needed to do and what was expected of her as a bodyguard, Yuffie headed back to Cloud's place with Reno and Rude escorting her. When she arrived at the Seventh Heaven bar, Tifa looked up in surprise.

"Umm...Yuffie," she began, putting down the pile of dishes she was cleaning (she always seems to be cleaning, doesn't she?). "What's—what's all this about?"

"Where's Cloud? Everyone needs to hear this!" Yuffie exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement.

"What's so important—?"

"Just get everyone, okay? I'll be back down to tell you all in a minute!" She quickly led the two Turks to her room in the back of the bar and began to pack. She didn't have much to pack because her stay at Cloud's was only temporary to begin with.

Reno pulled the top drawer of the dresser open and peeked inside it. "I'll help you pack your unmentionables if you'd like..."

"Hey!" Yuffie slammed the drawer shut, nearly slicing off his fingers in the process. "Just because you—!" She stopped when she remembered Rude was standing in the doorway, and then she grabbed Reno by the ear and pulled him down so she could whisper fiercely in his ear, "Just because we made out once, even though we were drunk, it doesn't mean you can try to sneak a peek at _any_ of my unmentionables of _any_ kind!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Okay! Alright!" She released his ear and he rubbed it painfully as she finished up her packing.

"Is there a problem?" Rude asked, raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

"Oh, Reno's just being a pervert, nothing new," Yuffie answered. Rude looked at Reno who grinned sheepishly in return. When they came back down, Tifa, Cloud, Aerith, Cid, Barrett, Marlene, and Denzel were there waiting.

"Just this morning you wanted nothing more than for us to leave you alone, now you're begging to see us?" said Barrett, sitting on one of the tables and hoisting Marlene onto his lap.

"What's this about?" asked Cloud. Everyone was looking at Reno and Rude with suspicion. Rude was still as a statue, and Reno gave them all a what-the-hell-are-you-looking-at kind of glare.

"Everyone—I have a new job," Yuffie began.

"About time..." muttered Cid.

Yuffie glared at him but continued. "I've been offered a job as a bodyguard for Rufus Shinra!"

"WHAAAT?" Everyone shouted in unison.

"Seriously!" asked Tifa.

"Yup! And as part of the job, I'm moving in with him and the Turks—"

"HUH!" Everyone shouted in unison.

"Really?" Aerith asked excitedly.

"Yes! So I wanted to tell you all before I left for Healin—"

"Hold on, hold on!" Cid waved his arms. "Why would Shinra want _you_ to be his bodyguard? I mean, you barely know him. And you're not that strong."

Yuffie frowned. "Everyone has the potential to do anything, if they set their mind to it!" She said, quoting what Rufus had said to her.

"You get that off a fortune cookie?" Cid retorted. But before Yuffie could lash out at him, Aerith interrupted.

"I think it's a great idea!" she said. "I'm happy for you!"

"Really?" Yuffie gave Aerith a hug and they did a little dance in a circle.

"Wait a second, Yuffie," Cloud pulled her out of the circle by the shoulder. "Have you really thought about this?"

"Hey, man, she said she wants to go, so that means she wants to go," said Reno coolly.

"I wasn't asking you," Cloud rounded on him.

"HEY! This is _my_ decision; therefore _I_ will speak for myself!" Yuffie stepped between the two of them, seeing as they were about to kill each other. When they had simmered down, she picked up her luggage and waved to everyone happily. "I'm off to put my ninja skills to good use! So goodbye everyone!"

Marlene jumped down from Barrett's lap and grabbed Yuffie's hand. "You will come and visit us, right?" she asked.

"Off course I will!" Yuffie ruffled her hair. "I'm not that far away, so I'll come by as often as I can, okay?" She waved to Denzel, who waved shyly back.

Yuffie, Reno, and Rude headed out the door and toward the limo that Rufus had provided for them. Just as Yuffie was about to get in the backseat, she heard a shout. Looking up, she saw Tifa come running toward her, waving an envelope.

"This came in this morning," she said, handing it to her.

"It's from the Midgar Record Company!" Yuffie tore the envelope open with anticipation and read the letter eagerly. But as she continued to read, her face began to fall.

"What? What is it?" Tifa leaned over her shoulder.

"They rejected my demo." The letter fell from Yuffie's hands to the ground.

"What? What's the hold up?" asked Reno, peering over the hood of the car.

"Nothing! Just saying goodbye!" Yuffie answered. Then she turned to Tifa.

"I'm sorry, Yuf," Tifa said apologetically.

"Nah, don't worry about it...maybe I just wasn't meant to be a singer!" She put on a forced smile to hide her disappointment. Tifa sensed that she was lying, but she nodded and went back inside.

Yuffie was silent during the drive to Healin. She stared out the window in deep thought, not really noticing the scenery. Reno glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking about everything that's happened." She smiled again then turned her attention back out the window. A large two-story house came rolling into view, surrounded by lovely mountain scenery. Yuffie gazed at it in wonder.

"Home sweet home," Rude announced, pulling into the driveway.

"It's not much, but it works," added Reno.

Yuffie looked at the house and felt a rush of excitement rise in her chest. She tried her hardest to keep from shouting with joy. "It's perfect!" she said with glee.

Reno couldn't help but laugh at the childlike enthusiasm she was emanating. "You are so weird," he grinned. But she didn't hear him. She headed for the house, hardly able to wait another moment to begin her new and interesting life.

A/N: This chapter feels kinda rushed to me...but oh, well. It got the point across! Please review and I'll try not to wait so long between chapters!


	6. Chapter 6

I'm back! I changed the summary cuz the last one kinda sucked...Sorry for the long gaps between chapters. My computer time has been cut in half, so I'm only able to use the computer once or twice a week at least. I don't have the next chapter typed up yet, so it might be another long wait. I'm so sorry! T.T I'll try to hurry it though!

To Tengoko: I know Rufus has been a little OOC, but fear not! The old Rufus will reappear soon enough! And I hope I don't ruin your expectations with this story...I'm a little frightened that I'll mess it up for everyone! . 

And I'm glad everyone is enjoying the fluffiness so far! This chapter has more fluffy goodness, but just in case you forgot--There will be some sexual content in later chapters. And the language will probably get worse too...But anyway...enjoy this chapter everyone!

Chapter Six

Yuffie busted the door open and ran inside the house, looking around excitedly. From the entry way, she could see the stairs ahead and two doors on the sides of the hall. One led to the downstairs bathroom and the other led to the living room, with the kitchen and dining room just beyond that. Yuffie looked into the living room; nothing fancy, just an ordinary room. She looked in the dining room and kitchen. Everything was normal. She wore a puzzled expression on her face.

"Not quite what you expected?" Rufus called to her, coming from down the stairs.

"For a rich guy, you sure don't live in luxury," Yuffie said, the slight disappointment in her voice apparent.

Rufus chuckled. "Well, you haven't seen the _whole_ house. We've prepared a room for you, right next to Elena's. Reno, be a gentleman and carry her things."

Reno took Yuffie's suitcase from her and led the way upstairs. The hallway was ordinary enough. There were four bedrooms and a bathroom on the other end of the hall. Reno told her that the rooms belonged to him, Rude, and Elena. "Your room used to be Tseng's, but now he's moved to the basement. The boss's room is downstairs behind the stairs."

"The house doesn't seem that big from outside," said Yuffie as he opened the bedroom door and went inside. "How can all of you fit in this place?"

"Like the boss said, you haven't seen the whole house yet," he smiled. "So...this is your room. Elena's next door, I'm across from you and Rude's next to me. There are only two bathrooms in this house, so try not to take too much time in the mornings. I know how you girls are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she frowned.

"Come on. Elena always takes forever, and now there's two of you..." he laughed at the disapproving look she gave him.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to take extra long just to annoy you!" Yuffie poked his chest.

"Go ahead, get in trouble with the others." He grinned. "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the house." They went back downstairs and went into the study where Rude and Elena were hanging around the computer.

"Yes! I finally did it!" Elena was shouting happily. Rude adjusted his shades, expressionless.

"What happened?" asked Reno from the doorway.

"I finally surpassed Rude's score on Tetris!" Elena waved her hands in joy.

"That puts you in fifth place, Rude."

Rude raised an eyebrow at Elena. "You just enjoy it while you can. I'll regain my rightful place in the number four spot." His taunts didn't hinder Elena's happy mood, and she began to do a little dance in the chair, just happy that she had surpassed him.

Yuffie turned to Reno, an eyebrow raised. "Tetris?"

"Yeah, we kind of have this thing with Tetris...the boss is obsessed with the game, but we can never pass his high score. So he made us a deal that whoever manages to take the number one spot from him first will get a raise in pay."

Yuffie laughed. "That's a little random! So how close are you to his score?"

"I made it to second once, but Tseng beat me. Since then, he's always been second place and I'm always close behind in third. Poor Elena hardly ever makes it past fifth. She's not much of a videogame player." Suddenly, his expression changed from calm and cool to sudden excitement. "That reminds me! The entertainment room! Come over here."

He went into the living room, Yuffie following, wondering what he wanted to show her. There was a large, widescreen TV in front of the window across from the big, curved couch. On the shelves beside and beneath the television was a DVD player, stereo, and different gaming systems.

"Where are all the games and stuff?" Yuffie asked. Reno went over to a bookcase next to the couch and pulled on a large green book. The bookcase flipped open to reveal a secret room. Yuffie's eyes widened in amazement. "Awesome!"

"When we bought this house, we discovered this room by accident," Reno explained. "We didn't know what to use it for, so we keep all our games and movies in here."

Yuffie took a step inside and scanned the nearest shelf. "This is so cool..." she breathed excitedly.

"Yeah, just don't close the door when you come in. It doesn't open from the inside."

After examining the room, they checked out the dining room and kitchen. Then they went down into the basement. Yuffie was expecting it to be dark and musty, but instead it was rather clean and well-lit. There was a washing machine and dryer on one side and a room on the other which belonged to Tseng. There was another door between them.

"A closet?" asked Yuffie.

"Sort of." Reno opened it and motioned for her to go inside. It was the size of a broom cupboard, and she was surprised she could fit inside it at all. Then Reno came in after her, pushing her against the wall. The closet went dark when the door closed behind him. She panicked; she thought he was trying to make a move on her. But before she could react, the wall she was up against slid away and she fell to the floor in front of her.

"Whoops! Maybe I should've opened the door before I got in..." Reno leaned down to help her up.

"You think?" she snapped, a little peeved. He just grinned and pointed behind her. Still a little mad at him, she turned to see what he was pointing at. Her mouth hung slightly open at what she saw.

They were in a large, underground meeting room, complete with a long table and chairs in the middle. A huge computer screen was on the end, displaying the ShinRa Electric Power Company logo.

Yuffie looked at Reno, and her surprise was replaced with a smirk. "You bring work home with you?"

"The Shinra building is totaled, remember? This is our base until we rebuild the old building."

"You mean members still come here for a meeting every now and then?"

"Well, actually, we're all that's left." When she gave him a puzzled look, he explained, "After that event with Meteor two years ago, all of ShinRa's employees either died or wanted nothing to do with the company anymore. So we're trying to start over, hopefully bring something positive to this world."

Yuffie paused, and then said half-jokingly, "Well, looks like you have a lot of work to do, considering ShinRa's reputation."

"You mean _we_," he corrected, smiling.

Yuffie couldn't help but smile back. She didn't know why she couldn't stop smiling around him... "Stop looking at me like that, you're embarrassing me!" she said, turning away.

"Embarrassing you?" he tried to look at her face, but she kept turning away. This made him smile even wider. "I was only smiling at how cute you look when you make fun of me!"

"Cute!" She felt her face begin to redden at these words. "Stop joking! It's not funny!" _Why the hell am I so embarrassed? _She wondered. _Stop it! Stop blushing, Yuffie!_

"I'm not joking." She froze, hearing the seriousness in his voice. Slowly she turned to face him, not sure if she was still blushing or not. He was looking at her with honest eyes, his smile calm and kind. Yuffie swore her heart skipped a beat.

"I really do think you're cute," he said. Then his smile became slightly mischievous. "But I'd love to see what you look like when you sing!"

Yuffie's eyes widened. "You...you're trying to get me to sing?" she suddenly felt a tinge of disappointment in her heart. "You're trying to butter me up so I'll sing for you, aren't you?" she said accusingly.

"That's not it at all! I merely suggested—"

"I told you I'm not singing! I can't sing anyway, so it doesn't matter."

Reno raised an eyebrow, sensing something was wrong by the way she had said this. "Yuffie...did something happen with the demo?"

Yuffie tried not to look him the face. "No...nothing..."

Reno crossed his arms and gave her a look. "Don't give me that. You were the one who said we have to support each other and all that. So tell me—what happened?"

Yuffie glanced at him, not wanting to tell him. But she knew he was right; she had said all that. So with hesitance she pulled out the letter from the record company and handed it to him.

He read it to himself all the way through. He looked at Yuffie sympathetically. "Ah, Yuffie, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be." She snatched the letter and tore it to shreds. "I knew it wasn't going to work anyway. I was only fooling myself."

He watched her tear the paper, thinking to himself. Then he got an idea. "Come with me." He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the room. She tried to protest, but he didn't loosen his grip on her. He led her upstairs and called out to Rude and Elena to join them in the living room.

"What are you doing? Reno!" He finally let go of her and began to hook up some machine to the TV.

Elena and Rude entered a second later. "What's up?" asked Elena.

Reno straightened up, holding two microphones in his hands. "Karaoke!" he exclaimed, extending one of the microphones to Yuffie.

Yuffie looked at it with alarm. "Oh, no! No, no, no!"

"Come on!" He put it in her hand, but she tried to give it back.

"No! I can't do this! You can't make me!" She held it out for Elena to take, but she just stood next to Rude, watching with amusement. The music began to play and Yuffie groaned; it was one of her favorite songs.

"I can't, Reno!"

"It's okay, I'll sing with you! _Listen baby!_" He began to sing as the lyrics showed up on screen. "_Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough._ Come on, you can do it!"

"No!" She didn't want to, but she knew she wouldn't be able to resist for long.

"_If you need me call me, no matter where you are, no matter how far!_"

Yuffie felt her resistance crumbling as the music filled her and swept her up in it. So without a second thought, she sighed and joined him. "_Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry. You don't have to worry._"

They both sang the chorus together, getting into the music. "_'Cause baby, there ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from getting to you!_"

"Remember the day I set you free, I told you, you could always count on me," sang Reno.

Yuffie sang next: "_From that day on I made a vow, I'll be there when you want me, Some way, some how!_"

"'_Cause baby, there ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from getting to you!_"

They did a little un-choreographed dance, laughing all the while. Over by the couch, Elena was dancing while Rude tapped his foot to the music. Yuffie never imagined such a scene could have ever happened, and yet here she was, singing karaoke among members of ShinRa. Despite how strange everything seemed, Yuffie was really glad that she was where she was.

The music faded away and they all laughed together, collapsing on the couch. "I had no idea you could sing like that!" Reno complimented Yuffie.

"Yeah! You're a hell of a lot better than Reno!" said Elena.

"You made him look worse than when he sings karaoke by himself," added Rude.

"Hey! I'm sitting right here!" Reno punched Rude on the shoulder.

"Oh, you guys...I'm not that great..." Yuffie shrugged.

"Don't be modest! You have a talent and you shouldn't keep it hidden!" Elena said forcefully, pointing her finger in a matter-of-factly manner. "We should try to get you a record deal or something!"

"Thanks, but I already tried," Yuffie looked down at her feet. "They didn't like it. So I guess...that's that."

Reno looked at her for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment Tseng appeared around the corner of the door.

"Everyone downstairs. We've got a mission."

A/N: Now I will bring in some original characters and create a sub-plot! The story is still focused on Reno/Yuffie, but now there will be complications in the form of an evil corporate business leader and his evil plan to destroy ShinRa for good! pauses, looks around Did I just say that out loud? FFVII cast nods Crap! . At least you have an idea of where this story might be headed...I guess... Anyway, please review if you like the story so far!


	7. Chapter 7

OMG AN UPDATE!!! I'm reeeaaaally sorry for making you all wait T.T Sorry...This chapter is really long too, it's _seven_ pages! Hopefully that will make up for the delay...or not... The problem with this story is that I have it all planned out, and then I get better ideas and the whole thing changes! So I guess that's why it's taking forever... Please bear with me as I try to make this story develop in the best way possible! I'd hate to disappoint anyone with a weak plot development! So for now, enjoy this next installment.

Chapter Seven

The ventilation system must have stopped working, because the air vent was hot and stuffy. Yuffie was small enough to fit inside the vents, but she still felt slightly claustrophobic. She had to continuously take deep breaths to keep herself from having a panic attack.

_Elena could have done this, instead of me,_ she thought to herself, quietly inching her way toward a small opening on the other end of the tunnel. Her mind went back to the conversation they had earlier that day, when Rufus told them all what the mission was.

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"There has been talk of a rebellious group sneaking around Edge, gathering information on various things, especially matters concerning ShinRa," Rufus explained. They were all in the underground meeting room, Rufus at the head of the table and Tseng standing next to him. Yuffie was excited; it was her first day at the house and already she would get to see some action.

"This group has skills far too good to be a simple gang," Rufus continued, "which leads me to believe they are part of something bigger, and possibly deadly."

"How dangerous are they?" asked Elena.

"They don't seem to be a real threat to civilians, but there have been reported cases of harassment from them," said Tseng, passing some blurry photos and reports across the table.

"What worries me most is what they're after," said Rufus.

"And what's that?" asked Rude.

"That's the problem. We don't know." Rufus folded his hands and rested his chin on them, his eyes narrowed in serious thought. "But I'm certain it has something to do with my company. They've been lurking around the ShinRa building ruins lately."

"Who are these guys?" asked Reno, squinting at one of the photos.

Rufus paused. "I have a hunch." He stood up, and the Turks followed suit. He addressed them all seriously. "Whatever they're after, all that matters is that they are stopped before they become a real danger. Here is the address of their base." He handed a piece of paper to Reno. "Tseng will remain here and monitor your actions, which puts you in charge, Reno. Infiltrate their base and find out what they want. Kill anyone who gets in the way, leave no evidence. Show them the meaning of fear."

Yuffie looked at Rufus in alarm. He said 'kill' so casually, as if human lives were nothing. And when he spoke about fear, she swore she saw a shadow form over his staring, blue eyes...

"Yuffie." The female ninja was brought out of her thoughts by the boss himself, who was smiling at her expectantly.

"Yes, sir?"

"I look forward to seeing how you do on your fist mission."

Yuffie blinked; perhaps the dark shadow was just her imagination. She nodded, a determined look on her face. "Yes, sir!"

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Yuffie peered through the vent window to see if the coast was clear. Below her was a security room, all the screens lit up with different rooms and camera angles in the building. There was a guard sitting at the controls, flipping a lighter open and close and staring at the screens with boredom.

Yuffie removed the window quietly and carefully. Then she got into position, ready to jump down.

There was a thud on the floor, and the guard turned around in alarm, pulling out his gun. There was no one there. Still a little bit suspicious, he sat back down. Then there was another thud, and this time he was ready. He turned around, gun drawn—but all he saw was a fist in the face.

Yuffie dragged the unconscious guard across the floor and leaned him against the wall. She paused, then searched his pockets and belt. Taking a pair of handcuffs she found, she cuffed them around his wrists. Then she took his gun and went over to the control board. Scanning the screens and checking the current positions of the buildings inhabitants, she pushed the button on her walkie talkie earpiece.

"Reno, it's me." There was some static.

"Roger that, Blackbird. What is your current position?"

"I'm in control of the security room. There are guards at every entrance. Only two at the north entrance, second floor. It's your best bet."

"Alrighty then. We're on our way. Let us know if there are any changes."

"Sure thing."

"Oh, and one more thing!"

"What?"

There was more static. "Call me by my codename."

Yuffie sighed. "Reno..."

"Come on! Please? My little Blackbird?" he begged.

Yuffie sighed, feeling a little embarrassed. But, just to make him happy, she gave in. "Okay...Big Daddy..."

She could hear the smile in his voice. "Good girl. Big Daddy, out."

Yuffie rolled her eyes and smiled. Reno could be such a weirdo, but she liked that about him. She also liked the fact that he didn't treat her like a child, unlike a certain spiky-haired blonde named Cloud and practically everyone else she knew. This time, Yuffie had more responsibility. This time, she would prove that she had long since outgrown her immature ways.

She began to absently flip the lighter she found open and closed as she watched the screens, every now and then warning Reno and the others and telling them where to go.

Yes, she would prove herself to everyone. And she decided to start by not messing up this mission.

Suddenly, something jumped her and she fell back, completely caught off guard. She felt a chain wrap around her neck and tighten, suffocating but not enough to choke her to death. The guard she had knocked out spoke in her ear threateningly. "Didn't your parents ever teach you not to knock people unconscious and mess with their things?"

Yuffie tried to struggle free, grabbing at the handcuffs. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, which made her very uncomfortable. The earpiece had fallen to the floor, so it was impossible for her to call for help.

The guard took a whiff of her hair. "You smell nice," he said in a tone that made Yuffie cringe. "If you were my type, I'd definitely have some fun with you. Now tell me who you're working for." Yuffie could feel his body pressing closely against her. She felt a panic rise in her chest and tried to move her legs, but he had his legs twisted around hers in a lock. "Tell me who you work for," he demanded again.

She said nothing, but continued to struggle.

He pulled the chain tighter. "Answer me, bitch!"

"Go to hell!" she managed to shout as her hand wrapped around one of her shuriken stars. Using her ninja skills, she took the star and sliced through the chain on the handcuffs, only making a small scratch on her throat. She dropkicked the guard, knocking him into the control panel. Yuffie grabbed the earpiece and jumped up to the vent, but just as she was about to hoist herself up, the man grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her down. Her head hit the side of the vent's window and she landed with a thump on the floor.

"Augh...dammit..." her head was throbbing now, and everything was spinning. Reno's voice was coming from the earpiece, muffled with static. Yuffie reached for it, but couldn't find it. She looked up and saw it in the hands of the security guard.

He smiled deviously. "Looks like we've got a little rat problem." He crushed the earpiece in his hand.

Yuffie started to get up, but the man pointed his gun at her. "One move and I will shoot you," he warned.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to hurt girls?" Yuffie asked, glaring.

He sneered. "Never had any parents. Now get up and hold out your hands." He reached into a drawer under the control panel, keeping an eye on her the whole time. He pulled out another pair of cuffs. "Let's go pay a visit to your friends. I'd hate for you to miss their untimely deaths."

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"Yuffie? Yuffie, you there?" Reno turned off the earpiece, "Damn it, she's not answering."

"Something must've happened," said Elena. "What do we do? We're pretty much blind without Yuffie." The three Turks were crouched in a stairwell just before the fifth floor. They had their weapons at the ready in case they were found.

"We could take out the security cameras," suggested Rude.

"Nah, the breakers are back in the basement, it would take too long." Reno looked down the stairwell uncertainly. "Maybe we should make a run for the security room, just to see if Yuffie's okay."

"Too dangerous, we could get caught," said Rude.

"well we have to do something," said Elena urgently. "If we stay in here any longer, we'll definitely get caught!"

Suddenly, the stairwell was filled with a high-pitched screech. The Turks covered their ears in pain as the speakers throughout the building echoed with an evil laughter.

"Attention everyone!" the voice cackled. "It would seem we have a few stary rats in the building. We've managed to captured one of them and are keeping her in the warehouse."

"Yuffie!" Elena gasped.

"Shit..." Reno gritted his teeth in anger.

"So, if the rats can make it to the warehouse to save her in ten minutes, perhaps we can negotiate something. That is, if you aren't eliminated along the way first..." the voice laughed again and was cut short, signaling the start of the Turks' time limit.

"What now?" asked Elena. But Reno was already sprinting down the stairs, all sense of stealth and caution gone. The other two followed, trying to keep up. Reno almost ran into the first floor door when he reached it and he flung it open without hesitation. A hail of bullets came shooting toward him. He ducked on one side of the doorway, with Rude and Elena on the other.

"How many do you think there are?" Reno yelled over the sound of the bullets.

"Judging by the accuracy of the shots and the pattern they're shooting in, I'd say about...five," Elena calculated.

"Take care of it." They sat for a moment as Elena checked her gun. When there was lull in the shooting, Elena peered around the corner and fired five consecutive shots. The opposing fire ceased.

Reno and Rude looked down the hallway and saw five men lying on the floor, wounds in the arms and legs.

"Way to go, Elena," Rude complimented. "I am thoroughly impressed."

"Runs in the family," Elena said simply with a big smile.

"I know you never shoot to kill, Elena," Reno said seriously as he pulled out his weapon, "but right now, don't even think about it. Just shoot. If they die, they die. We don't have time to be compassionate."

Reno led the way down the hall and toward the entrance lobby. They stopped and checked for any signs of movement.

"There are two snipers," whispered Rude, pointing up. "One above that door, and the other above this one."

"Elena, take out the one over there," Reno instructed. "I'll hurry over there and you throw me your gun, got it?"

She nodded, and then focused on finding the hidden sniper. Then she fired. There was a yelp of pain from the direction she aimed, and they heard movement above their heads. During that short moment, Reno had dashed across the lobby toward the door leading to the warehouse. The sniper fired at him but missed, and Reno dived behind a potted plant for cover. Elena tossed her gun to him and he fired, missed, and was shot at. He fired again and the sniper fell.

Elena and Rude ran across the lobby. "You okay?" Rude asked Reno.

"Yeah, just a minor injury," he stood up and put his hand over his left shoulder, which had a wound dripping with blood. "Man, I hate guns."

"You ought to carry one yourself next time," said Elena. "I won't always be there to back you up."

"I'm fine with my stick," he joked. Then he became serious again. "Let's go."

The Turks kicked the door open and ducked on the sides, just in case. When nothing happened, they proceeded inside the warehouse with caution. It looked like any ordinary warehouse, with machines and equipment lying around everywhere, boxes and crates littered around the floor.

"Well, well, well...if it isn't Shinra's team of assassins, the Turks."

The three of them looked around to find the speaker of the voice. There was a man standing on the ledge of the warehouse's control room. His face was covered in shadow, but they could hear the contempt in his voice. "Eight minutes and twenty-eight seconds...powerful _and_ punctual."

"We're not assassins! We're bodyguards!" Elena shouted.

The man smirked. "I see Rufus has lowered the status. ShinRa's really gone under since that whole mako incident."

Rude narrowed his eyes at this statement and asked, "What do you know about ShinRa?"

"Everything there is to know," he said simply.

"Where's the girl?!" Reno demanded.

"Yes, of course. You did make it here in time, however close it may be." He snapped his fingers and someone came out of the warehouse control room. It was the security guard, holding Yuffie's handcuffed hands behind her back and pointing a gun at her temple. Her mouth was gagged and taped shut, but as soon as she saw the Turks, she began to shout muffled cries.

"We followed your damn instructions, now let her go!" shouted Reno, gripping his weapon tight.

"You prevented us from killing her, but that doesn't mean we'll give her back without a price," the man grinned evilly. "Tell me—where is Rufus Shinra? I want to know the location of your base. After all, you've found mine."

Reno growled. Rude adjusted his shades and answered, "This isn't your base. This was a trap." Reno and Elena looked at him in surprise.

The man smirked again. "Very perceptive. However, you discovered our true intentions a bit too late. Now I have no choice but to use you all to lure Rufus out of hiding. I'm terribly sorry." His icy tone suggested that he was not sorry at all, and as he said this, henchmen came slinking toward the Turks from the dark corners of the warehouse. He nodded at the guard and said, "Do what you want with the girl. She's useless to me." Then he disappeared behind a door next to the control room.

"Any ideas?" Elena asked as they stood back to back, weapons out and ready.

"Just one." Reno reached into Rude's jacket and pulled out a grenade.

"Oh...I forgot I had that..." he said dumbly.

Reno pulled the pin and tossed it at one of the big machines. It exploded on contact, sending debris flying in every direction. All the residents of the warehouse ran for cover. The machine was in flames and smoking. The smoke had set off the water systems and it rained upon them all, soaking them within minutes.

Rude looked at his electro-rod and grinned at Reno. "Smart thinking."

"Things are about to get 'shocking!'" Reno joked lamely and leaped into action with a battle cry. Because most of the men were wet the electric shocks from Reno and Rude's weapons were enough to paralyze them. When that failed, Rude relied on his strength to knock them out. Elena followed behind, shooting at anyone who got near them.

Soon they had opened a path to the stairs leading up to the control room ledge. Reno ran up the stairs, but no one was there. He saw the door leading to the second floor of the building swinging open. He charged through it.

It was just an empty hallway. How could they have gotten away so fast? He wondered. But then he heard a thump coming from one of the rooms to his right. Without hesitation, he kicked the door open, weapon at the ready. He was just in time—the guard had Yuffie pinned down and was on top of her, his hands roaming in places they shouldn't be, getting ready to do something unspeakable. Yuffie was kicking around violently, trying to escape in vain.

"BASTARD!!" Reno smacked the guy in the head with his rod as hard as he could, sending the man flying into the opposite wall, rendering him unconscious. Reno hurried over to the guard and dug around in his pockets for the keys to the handcuffs. Tehn he quickly helped Yuffie up and tore the tape off her mouth. She coughed and spluttered, spitting out the rag that was shoved in her mouth.

"Yuffie, you okay now? Did he hurt you?" Reno asked as he began to unlock the cuffs.

Yuffie was pale and shaking, on the verge of tears. The straps of her tank top were ripped off, and her shorts were already opened. "He almost...his hands were all over me...I..." The cuffs dropped to the floor and Reno took her hands in his. "It's alright now. Everything's going to be alright," he assured her.

She couldn't stop herself from crying uncontrollably. "I thought you'd never come! I was so scared!"

Reno put his arms around her protectively and let her cry into his chest. "It's alright Yuffie," he said assuredly, stroking her head gently. "I'm here now. I'm just so glad that you're safe."

He held her and calmed her with gentle words until Rude and Elena showed up to tell them that it was all over and that the leader had managed to escape. Reno didn't care. Out of all the things involved in this mission, Yuffie's safety was what had mattered to him the most.

A/N: WHEW! My wrist is really cramped now... XP I hope this was long enough for you all! The next chapter could possibly include some sexual content, so be ready for that! Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Hello again everyone! I'm very sorry for the wait, but during the Christmas holidays, my computer crashed and all sorts of madness ensued. Then there was the problem of editing my next few chapters. I had originally planned to put some sexual content in here, but then I realized "Hold on, it's only Yuffie's first night there!" So, the good stuff will have to wait a few more chapters. So anyway, I hope this will tide you over at least for another week, because I'll be gone for a week on Spring Break. I'm going to Europe!!! dances with joy The next chapter is almost finished, so I should have it up in a couple weeks, I promise! (Eh, you can never trust writers to meet deadlines...but I'll try!)

Chapter Eight

When they had returned to Healin, Reno, Elena, and Rude told Rufus everything that happened. He listened intently, taking in every word. When they finished, he sat silently for a moment, thinking everything over. Then he looked up at them.

"I think my hunch was right," he said, folding his hands across the table. "But I have to make sure. Tomorrow morning, Tseng and Elena will come with me. There's something I need to check out. In the meantime, everyone get their rest. Reno, get that wound cleaned up. Where's Yuffie?"

"She turned in early," said Elena. "She's exhausted from the mission—"

"She was almost raped," Reno interrupted bitterly.

Rufus looked at him, surprised. "Oh...Oh, my...Well, I hope she's alright. Perhaps you should go to her, Elena, and talk with her, make sure she's alright—"

"I'd like to do it, sir." They all looked at Reno. His face was serious and his voice was filled with regret. "It was my fault anyway. I was the one in charge and put Yuffie in danger. I want to apologize to her."

Rufus paused, then nodded to him in respect. "Very well. Goodnight then." They all left the study and went to turn in for the night while Reno and Rude went into the bathroom to clean Reno's wound.

"This'll leave a scar for sure," Rude commented, after Reno had taken off his shirt and showed him the bloody wound on his shoulder. "You're lucky the bullet only grazed you."

"Yeah, this was nothing." Reno flexed his arm to make sure it wasn't sore. "Remember Kadaj and his gang? Now _that_ was torture."

Rude began to wipe the cut with a damp cloth. "Reno...You really like Yuffie, don't you?"

Reno glanced around uncertainly, trying to avoid Rude's questioning look. "What do you mean?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"You _know_ what I mean."

Reno sighed. He knew he couldn't fool his best friend that easily. "I don't know. It's just...we kinda made a promise to help each other out no matter what, and I meant it when I agreed, but...I have this feeling like...like I really want to protect her or something. Like I want to be there for her, all the time. Is that selfish of me? AUGH! Dammit!" A painful sting suddenly interrupted his thoughts. He pulled his arm away from Rude, who had applied a dab of alcohol on the wound. "That stings, man!"

"Suck it up." Rude slapped a bandage on and stood up, straightening his shirt and unrolling his sleeves.

Reno picked up his dirty shirt and looked up at his friend. "Were you even listening to me?"

"I'm not the right person you should be telling this to anyway," Rude answered. "You should tell Yuffie."

Reno frowned. "It was hard enough admitting this to _you_. And besides, I don't even know what I'm saying, let alone even how I feel."

"Go talk to her. You'll figure it out."

"I guess you're right. Thanks, pal." He stood up and headed for the stairs, still unsure of what he was going to say.

Meanwhile, Yuffie had just gotten out of the shower. She looked at her reflection in the misty mirror and frowned. She was suddenly reminded of the mission and her horrible experience with that guard. She shivered and wrapped her bathrobe tightly around herself, heading to her room. She threw herself on her bed and sighed. She had failed—she wanted the mission to go well, but instead...

There was a knock on the door. She sat still, hoping that whoever was there would think she was sleeping. Then she heard Reno's voice. "Yuffie? You awake?"

Yuffie sat up slowly. She wanted to be left alone, but she knew she needed to talk to someone. And besides, she hadn't thanked Reno for earlier yet. Trying to keep her voice from shaking, she answered, "Come in."

Reno opened the door and peeked in. "Hey. How are you?"

"Um..." she was ready to lie to him, to tell him she was okay. "Better now. I'm feeling better now."

"Glad to hear it. Mind if I, uh, come in?"

"Sure." He came in and sat down on the opposite end of the bed.

Yuffie cleared her throat. "Um, Reno...I wanted to, um...to thank you. For coming to my rescue."

Reno smiled. "I had to. You're one of us after all."

"Yeah. I guess I am." The fact that she was now part of Shinra's Turks still hadn't fully sunk in yet, and the mention of it still amazed her.

"And besides—we promised each other." Yuffie looked at him. He smiled at her. "We promised we'd be there for each other, no matter what. I have to keep my promise."

Yuffie paused. She remembered the discussion they had in the park earlier that day and how she had said all those things, but she was surprised. She didn't really think he was serious when he agreed to it. She was dead serious at the time, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she wasn't keeping her end of the deal. She felt her eyes begin to water and tears started to fall down her face.

"Yuffie? What's the matter?" Reno asked, a little alarmed. _Oh, no! I made her cry!_ He thought worriedly. "I'm sorry! Was it something I said?"

Yuffie shook her head and tried to wipe away the tears with the sleeve of her robe. "No, no. It's something _I_ did, or didn't do. Oh, I don't know!"

"Hey there, don't cry," Reno moved next to her and put his arms around her shoulders. "It's alright. You're fine now."

"I'm sorry," she tried to stop herself from crying. "It's no wonder why everyone keeps treating me like a child...It's all my fault."

"What is?" he asked gently.

"Everything that happened tonight! It was all my fault!" She sniffed and tried to control her breathing.

"Not at all," Reno smiled. "It wasn't your fault about what happened. It was mine." She looked at him, a little surprised. He continued. "I was the one in charge and I was the one who put you in that position. I should have thought through everything more carefully. I'm sorry."

"But—" Yuffie looked away from him. "It wasn't your fault at all. I wanted to go on this mission, more than anything, to prove that I was useful to you guys, that I could do anything to help. But..." She suddenly felt a surge of anger run through her. "But I ended up making everything about me. We had a job to do and it turned into a rescue mission because of how stupid I was!"

"It was always about you, Yuffie. At least for me." Yuffie felt her heartbeat skip and looked back at him. He was smiling gently at her. He put his hands on her cheeks and turned her face toward his, wiping away the trail of tears on her face with his thumbs. She looked into his eyes, unsure of what to think. He looked back at her sincerely. "Screw the mission. My number one priority has been and always will be you, Yuffie."

"Reno..." she felt her heart skip another beat.

"Yuffie...let me protect you..." Before she had time to react, Reno leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, softly and gently. She was slightly surprised, but found herself kissing him back. His tongue moved across her bottom lip, parting and delving deep, searching for hers. She let out a small moan and put her hands against his chest to stop herself from falling into his arms.

Reno's hand slid down her neck and over her bare shoulder, making the robe slip farther down. Yuffie slipped her hands under his shirt and across his chest, causing him to moan in response to her light and gentle touch. He looked into her face; her cheeks were blushing and she looked a little embarrassed and shy.

Suddenly, Reno pulled away. Yuffie took a breath and looked up at him as he stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair and began to back away toward the door, looking unsure. "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I should go now. Goodnight." Then he hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Yuffie stared at the door for a moment, confused. Slowly, she began to feel a hint of sadness, and also a bit of embarrassment. _Why did I let him kiss me?_ She thought. _I should have stopped him. But..._ Now she was really confused. She threw herself down onto her pillow and hugged it tight. _I don't understand! Why did he kiss me again? Why did he say those words? Those sweet, kind words..._

She sighed. When he first started consoling her, she thought it was just because of the promise they had made to each other earlier. But he kissed her again, and she kissed him back. He was sending her mixed signals or something, and it was bothering her.

"I think..." she said quietly to herself, closing her eyes and feeling sleep suddenly begin to envelop her. "Could he be the one...?" Her thoughts drifted away, leaving her in a quiet, dreamless sleep.

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A/N: Not really impressive, but I think it advances Yuffie and Reno's relationship just a little further. I'm a little confused right now as to where this plot is going...but I'll have it figured out soon. After all, I have 12 hours worth of flight time to pre-write the next chapters during my trip to Europe!

By the way! One of my lovely reviewers has drawn an awesome fanart piece from my story! It's the scene from chapter four when Yuffie tries to remember what happened between her and Reno on the way home from the bar. Check it out here: you so much, AthaMaarit! It inspires me to write more and hopefully update sooner than usual!


	9. Chapter 9

I'm back from Europe! There were good moments, and there were bad moments, but there was never a moment for me to write in my story. It took me almost a whole week to adjust to the time change when we came back! So now I have the plot for this story figured out, so I'll try to update more frequently (how many times have you heard me say that? -.-) But seriously, I've been getting bursts of inspiration for my writing and have been trying to focus more on my writing rather than my art. We'll just see how it goes.

Without further ado, here's the next chapter!

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Chapter Nine

When Yuffie woke up the next morning, she had almost forgotten the night before. She sat up and stretched, then looked around the room. The unfamiliar settings took a moment to register in her memory; after all, it was her first night in this house. But all the memories of the day before when Rufus gave her the job of being his bodyguard came back and she took a deep breath. "I'll never get used to the idea of working for Rufus Shinra," she said to herself.

She got dressed and went downstairs to eat breakfast. She suddenly paused and walked slowly and quietly to the kitchen. There wasn't a single sound in the whole house, and it was freaking her out. "Hello?" she called. "Anyone home?" No one answered. "Ohh, I hate being alone!" she shuddered.

Luckily, Yuffie found a note on the counter in the kitchen addressed to her from Rude. She read it out loud: "'Yuffie—The boss took Tseng and Elena to see to something important. Reno and I are in town for groceries. Spend the day how you like, your car's in the back. –Rude. P.S. Breakfast is in the microwave.' How thoughtful of you, Rude!"

She opened up the microwave and found a delicious plate of cold pancakes and slightly burnt bacon. She frowned. "Yes, how very, very thoughtful..."

Yuffie decided to take the car into town and find some breakfast there instead. She was excited. The car was beautiful, expensive, and all hers. She was going to ride up to the Seventh Heaven in style and show off the perks of her new job to those bastards who mocked her before she left (a.k.a. Cid and Barrett).

She could drive well enough, though she didn't have an official license. Who needs a card to prove you can step on a gas pedal and steer a hunk of metal anyway? She thought to herself. But, even as she was driving down the country roads, she decided that a motorcycle or something like that was easier to handle.

The female ninja arrived in Edge, driving down the streets slowly to show off her new set of wheels. People gazed in wonder, as they've never seen anything so beautiful in years. Yuffie couldn't help but grin at the envious looks on their faces.

"Yuffie? Is that really you?" Aerith looked over the car in delight as Yuffie parked it in front of her flower shop. "You sure you didn't steal that from someone important?"

"Nope! It was a _gift_ from someone important!" Yuffie patted the hood of the car. "Just one of the many advantages of working for the rich and powerful!"

"I still can't figure it out," Aerith said thoughtfully.

"Huh? Figure what out?"

"Why you took the job." Aerith began to circle the car, examining it in careful detail. "I mean, it's not like you to associate with people like that."

"What do you mean 'people like that?'" Yuffie frowned at her. "You don't know them. Some of them aren't half bad!"

Aerith glanced up at her. "Oh? So you wanted to get to know them better?"

Yuffie scratched her head in thought. "Well...I guess so...Plus, I really wanted the car."

"Is there something you want from this job more than the car?"

Yuffie's face screwed up into one of confusion. "What do you mean? I wanted a car and good money. Why else would I accept a job offer?"

"Oh, I dunno...maybe for the adventure, new experiences...cute co-workers..." A mischievous gleam flashed in Aerith's eyes when she said this, studying Yuffie's reaction carefully.

A slight blush threatened to redden Yuffie's cheeks when Aerith mentioned cute co-workers. Reno's gentle smile instantly flashed in her mind, and she tried to shake the image away. "That's ridiculous...You're being ridiculous!" She reached into her pocket, desperately fumbling for her car keys. "It's for the money and the car. Nothing else!" She knew Aerith was suspicious, and she also knew that the flower girl wouldn't stop until she got Yuffie to admit to having a crush on someone.

"Well, lookie here. I thought that car looked familiar." The ever familiar, smooth voice that haunted her dreams made her drop the keys in her hands. Reno and Rude walked up to the two girls, Rude as impassive as ever and a joyful grin on Reno's face. "I also recognized the princess who owns it. Seems she finally decided to get out of bed this morning."

_It's because you kept me up all night, thinking about you..._ She wanted to turn away and hide her blushing face, but for some reason she couldn't look away from his hauntingly beautiful blue eyes. "What are you doing here?" she managed to say, keeping her tone firm.

Reno raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking he might have accidentally made her angry. "Didn't you get the note Rude left? We're grocery shopping."

"Well, I don't see any groceries," she answered, trying to sound sarcastic. But for some reason, it came of more as a snappy comment.

"We're...on our way to the store," he said, looking at her curiously. "Hey, are you okay? You sound upset."

"I'm fine!" She snapped again. She looked down at her feet, feeling quite childish again. "I'm fine..."

"Are you angry with me?" he asked.

Yuffie looked up at him in disbelief. Had he forgotten what happened last night? Had he no idea how it had affected her? Or did he just not care? She wanted to interrogate him right then and there, to find out exactly what his feelings for her were, but then she remembered Aerith's quiet presence, her eyes gazing curiously at the scene. Yuffie stood up straight and gave Reno a blank look. "Of course not. Why would I be?"

Before Reno could ask her anything further, she opened the car door and got inside, apologizing to Aerith for her short visit and promised to come again real soon. Then she started the car and drove off as fast as she could, leaving them behind.

"That jerk...that heartless bastard!" She yelled out loud to no one, driving toward the city limits quickly. "He just smiles and acts like nothing happened. Is he trying to take advantage of me?" She glared at the road ahead of her, an image of the previous night's Reno appearing in her mind, caressing her cheek and assuring her with kind words. "'Let me protect you'...BULLSHIT!"

She decided that a nice cruise around the countryside would do her some good, so she drove around on the dirt roads in the forests and around the mountains for a while. The scenery really calmed her, and she suddenly felt a little homesick. She began to miss the beautiful forests of Wutai and her home village. She looked at the mountains and sighed. "I wanna go home...maybe working for Shinra was a bad idea..." If it were up to her (and it was), she would have gone to Rufus immediately and resigned, and then return home. But that would be proving Cloud and the others right; and she would rather die than let that happen.

"Damn my stubborn nature..." she sighed again. Her stomach growled, and she remembered that she hadn't eaten breakfast, although it was already just past noon. So she decided to return to Healin, hoping that the groceries were already there.

When Yuffie arrived at the lodge, however, no one was back yet. "Well, I guess it's sandwiches for me...and lots of 'em." She sighed yet again. She knew she needed to learn to cook more.

Just as she began to walk to the door, something caught her eye. She looked up at her bedroom window and saw the curtains blowing out. She could have sworn she closed it before she left this morning. A sudden rush of adrenaline filled her as she came to a realization: A burglar. A chance to prove her skills had finally presented itself!

_This should be easy,_ she thought to herself. _I already know it's not a professional. No real thief would forget such an obvious detail._

Yuffie ran up to the door and unlocked it, opening it slowly and quietly. Although it was probably an amateur, she knew that it was important not to give herself away. After all, she was a professional. One hand at her side, her fingers lightly brushing the shuriken stars on her belt, she crept toward the stairs, checking every room along the way. Then, stepping lightly, she hurried up the stairs, stopping just before the top. So far she had not made a sound, but her excited breathing threatened to give her away. It had been awhile since she was able to sneak around like this, and the very idea made her feel very much alive.

Her bedroom door was closed, as were the other rooms. She slowly approached her door and looked at the crack underneath it for signs of movement. There wasn't enough room between the door frame and the floor for her to see anything, but the light from inside remained constant.

Quietly, she opened the door and peered inside, looking around the room carefully. She tiptoed to the closet and checked inside it. After confirming that the intruder wasn't in her room, she went over to the window and looked outside, scanning the area around the building.

"Now the intruder could be anywhere in the house..." she said out loud to herself.

"How about up here?"

Yuffie gasped and looked up at the ceiling as a man came flipping down toward her, aiming to kill. She only just dodged his array of kunai knives and tumbled off to the side, crashing against the side of the bed. She looked up at the attacker as he landed gracefully on his feet in front of the window, facing her. He wore a bandana across the lower half of his face and was dressed in red and black ninja garb. He glared at her, the lines on the bandana crinkled to show that he was smirking underneath it.

"It's been awhile, Yuffie."

Yuffie glared right back, trying to hide her confusion. "I'm sorry...have we met before?"

"You don't recognize me? Hmph. It figures. After all, you left us back home to join these city rats..."

"Home?" She reached for her shuriken behind her back while she tried to keep him distracted with conversation. "You're from Wutai?"

"Time has certainly taken its toll on you. You can't even recognize our traditional fighting garments anymore." He watched her carefully, concentrating so well that she was afraid he knew what she was doing. "I hope you know that with our precious princess gone, Wutai is left open and ripe for seizing. Not that you seem to care, seeing as you decided to leave for good this time."

"I never said I was leaving for good!" Yuffie retorted. "Just who do you think you are anyway?"

"If you haven't figured it out by now, then you don't deserve to know." He pulled out another set of kunai knives and held them between his fingers, and began to walk toward her. "Now, I would like you to come back with me, Princess. If you do not cooperate, I will have to use for—" Two shuriken stars flew right past his head, slicing the bandana at the sides. He grabbed it before it slipped off and glared at Yuffie, who was charging right for him.

"I may not be able to easily recognize Wutaian clothing anymore—" She turned at the heel and sent a flying kick to his head, which sent him flying into the wall. She grinned satisfactorily. "But I sure as hell still know how to fight! With a few more little tricks up my sleeve, I might add..."

"Not bad..." The intruder got to his feet, wiping away a trail of blood from his lip. Yuffie tried to get a good look at him, but he moved so quickly she couldn't see his face clearly enough. "But still not good enough!" He threw the kunai knives at her. She was in close range, so it was harder for her to dodge them all. A couple knives tore through her clothing and one grazed her cheek. None of them hit any vital areas.

She tried to stop herself from falling with her feet, but almost fell over on the carpet. The intruder was right on her, pinning her against the closet door. The bandana fell to the ground, and Yuffie stared into the face of her attacker.

"Recognize me now, Yuffie?" His cold gray eyes bored into her with anger. She looked at him, her own expression one of indifference. But the more she looked into his face, the more familiar he seemed. Those eyes...so dark, so familiar...Then suddenly, memories of her childhood began to resurface as she suddenly realized that she knew this person very, very well.

"Shikamaru?"

The pounding of feet could be heard from the stairs as someone came running frantically up. The intruder released Yuffie and ran for the window, jumping out in a single leap. Yuffie ran over to it and looked outside, hoping to catch a final glimpse of him. He had vanished.

"Yuffie!" Reno and Rude entered the room, panting from the mad dash they had made to get to her room. "We heard noises," said Rude. "Was there someone in here?"

Yuffie looked out the window for a moment, and then looked at them as if she just realized they were there. "Oh...um, it was just an intruder. He didn't steal anything, though."

"Yuffie, you're bleeding!" Reno walked up to her and brushed her cheek where she had been cut by the kunai knife, smearing it on the back of his hand. She pushed his hand away and started to walk out the door.

"It's okay, it's just a scratch. I'll just go clean it up." She headed for the bathroom, trying to keep them from getting too suspicious. Reno and Rude looked around at the room at the knives and shuriken in the walls and the furniture.

"Just an intruder?" Rude raised an eyebrow at Reno, who was thinking the same thing.

"I'm thinking more along the lines of 'assassin,'" Reno added, pulling one of the knives out of the closet door. "If he's not with those goons from the warehouse, maybe he's just someone who's very pissed off."

"I'm going with the former." They heard the sound of a car from outside and knew that Rufus had returned with Tseng and Elena. "We better go tell the boss about this."

"Yeah." Reno put the knife in Rude's gloved hand and patted his shoulder. "But first, don't you think we ought to put those groceries away? The meat's gonna go bad."

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A/N: Another original character and twist to the plot! I won't say much here, but I'm just letting you know that I'm taking an extreme risk in adding these characters. I don't want to mess up anything or get my facts mixed up. I will remind you all once more that I have never played the game, I only watched someone play it a few times. I've seen Advent Children and played Kingdom Hearts, if that accounts for anything. I'll shut up now and let you guys review!


	10. Chapter 10

OMG, an update!! Sorry, guys, but this chapter was actually pretty hard for me to write, I'm still not quite happy with it. And the next chapter is even harder... -Le sigh- Anyway, so here's the next chapter. I've finally decided to actually get working on this story again, so you can expect new chapters at least within a month's time of each other So enjoy!

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Chapter Ten

"As I told you all before, I had an idea of who was behind this new group of villains. It turns out I was right…" Rufus explained to the Turks. They were once again in the underground meeting room, where Rufus was about to tell them where he, Tseng, and Elena went earlier that day. Reno and Rude sat next to each other, and Yuffie sat across from Rude. Reno looked at Yuffie, hoping she would glance his way, but she continued to look at Rufus, concentrating hard on what he was saying.

"The man you saw in the warehouse was undoubtedly Henry Nightfellow, a man who used to work under my father at ShinRa. I thought him to be dead long ago, but obviously I was wrong. He is not their leader; he doesn't have the skills or the smarts to handle it."

"Then who is their leader?" asked Rude.

Rufus crossed his hands under his chin, a grave look on his face. "An old childhood friend of mine… a very old friend…"

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Earlier that day, the bar was relatively packed, the music was lively and people were talking loudly. It was lunchtime at the Seventh Heaven restaurant and bar, and business was going good. Rufus walked through the doors, followed by Tseng and Elena. Although dressed in civilian clothing (white, of course), everyone still knew who he was. And most of them still hadn't forgotten what he did to the planet. He was ignored by most of them, with a glare or two aimed at him every now and again. Elena looked ready to teach them some manners, but Tseng calmly shook his head at her.

Just as Rufus reached the counter, Cloud came out from the back, on his way to deliver some packages. He met eyes with Rufus and abruptly stopped. "What is it?" he asked, somewhat annoyed. "Are you here to see me? Or has something happened to Yuffie already?"

"Neither," Rufus smiled calmly, but there was also something mysterious about it. "I'm just here to meet an old friend." When Cloud gave him a look, he rose his hands up in a defensive way and assured him, "I won't be causing any trouble, if I can help it."

"If you can help it?" Cloud scoffed at him. "Hm. Well, if anything happens, Tifa'll kick your ass." He moved passed him, not even looking at Tseng and Elena, and went out the door.

"Like many times before…" Rufus chuckled to himself. Elena rose a curious eyebrow and looked at Tseng for an answer as to why their boss was laughing. He just shrugged. "That's just like Cloud to threaten me with a girl." Rufus looked up and saw Tifa at the other end of the counter, taking someone's order. He suddenly found himself smiling as he watched her, waiting for her to walk over to him and take his order.

"Still as unpopular as ever, I see… my old friend…"

Rufus' smile faltered a bit when he heard this voice, an all too familiar one. The smile became more of a smirk as he turned to face the owner of the voice, who was sitting at a table alone by the window. "Erik Faust. The year's have been kind to you, I see."

"And to you." He was a good looking man, taller than Rufus, with dark brown hair that was mostly slicked back with two long bangs in the front. He appeared to be no older than Rufus, although his features were sharper. His dark eyes gleamed as he motioned for Rufus to join him. Rufus took the seat across from him while Tseng and Elena stood idly nearby.

"You bring your bodyguards out with you everywhere and people will notice you," said Erik, sipping on a cup of black coffee.

"Everyone already knows who I am anyway," said Rufus, leaning back in his chair and resting his right ankle on his knee. "Unlike you," he added with a grin.

Erik shook his finger at him. "Tsk tsk, Rufus. That's no way to treat someone you haven't seen in nearly ten years."

"It's been that long? I hadn't even noticed."

Erik continued to smile, not a trace of anger or annoyance on his face. "How did you know I'd be here?" he asked.

"Just a lucky guess," said Rufus, not taking his eyes of him. "There are only so many bars around here that you'd actually have the decency to visit. And this one is one of the best. Their staff is especially top notch…" Erik's eyes darted toward the bar and lingered on Tifa for a brief moment before looking back at Rufus, a strange gleam shining in them now.

"Something in your tone tells me you didn't come all this way just to catch up on old times," Erik said calmly, taking another drink. "Or to bring up painful memories, for that matter."

"Really…" Rufus' smile had disappeared completely now. "Then you won't mind if I get straight to business."

"Please do."

Rufus narrowed his eyes for a moment then began to derive his theory. "I noticed some activity around the ShinRa building-"

"What's left of it," Erik interjected.

"-And after some investigating found a makeshift base at the nearby warehouse. Now you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Can't say that I do," answered Erik shortly, drinking from his cup again.

"They were trying to lure me out," continued Rufus. "But why? The only possible explanation would be that they had some kind of grudge against me and wanted revenge by using my associates as bait." He looked at Erik with a questionable raising of his eyebrow. "Tell me, am I right? Or close enough?"

Erik put his cup down and picked up a napkin to clean himself up with. "As usual, it's no use trying to keep you in the dark. Although I must say Henry went a little out of line at the warehouse…"

"Henry?" Rufus narrowed his eyes. Where did that name sound so familiar?

"Yes, the plan was to get you out of hiding. Although everything went a little sloppier than planned, I now know all I needed to know. And instead of myself having to go and look for you-" Here, a malicious smile flashed across his features, "-you came right to me."

Tseng and Elena moved in a position to attack at his words, but he just chuckled. "I'm not simply going to kill you now, old friend," he grinned at Rufus, who stared at him, waiting for him to make his move. "No… I'll have my revenge. And I'm going to make you suffer…just as you made me so many years ago."

He stood up, and Rufus did the same. Erik grinned all the more maliciously, looking him in the eye. "And thanks to you, I have the perfect way to exact my revenge. Your associates were more than helpful. You've sealed your own fate, my friend." He put money on the table, and as he headed out the door he called back, "Oh, and you were right. This _is_ one of the best bars in town." And he was gone.

"Should we have stopped him, sir?" asked Tseng.

Rufus shook his head. "Wouldn't have mattered. He won't go down that easily, not without a fight. He never did…" He turned to face the two of them. "Let's go. We have to tell the rest of them."

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"What does he want revenge for?" asked Reno. "Did you steal his girlfriend or somethin'?"

"I took away something more valuable than that," said Rufus, resting his hands on the table. "I took away his dreams." There was a moment of silence, in which they waited for him to elaborate, but he simply dismissed the meeting. "We're going to have to be extra careful now. I don't know what he knows about us, but we need to assume the worst. Be on guard at all times."

The Turks got up and began to leave. Yuffie was about to head out the door, but Rufus called her back. She waited by the door as Rufus talked to Tseng, asking him to have Reno, Rude, and Elena recount their activities at the warehouse, including all dialogue exchanged with the enemy. Then Tseng exited, leaving Yuffie to see what the boss wanted. He began to question her about the assassin that had suddenly appeared.

"He was a ninja, you say? Was he from Wutai?"

Yuffie had already decided that she wasn't going to tell them about Shikamaru. She wanted to find out exactly why he was after her by herself. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to worry about her again. "I don't think so. I've never seen him before."

Rufus looked at her, as if trying to see through her, as if he suspected she was lying. But then his expression changed and he said, "Alright. We'll have to keep an eye out for him too. He attacked you for a reason, and I'm sure he'll come back again. Any idea why he might be after you?"

"Well, I am a princess." Rufus was quiet for a moment, thinking about other possible reasons. Then he sighed and told her to report any strange activities or occurrences directly to him. He dismissed her.

Yuffie turned to leave, but stopped and turned to face him again. She waited another moment before telling him something she had been wondering for a long time, since the day she became one of the Turks. "Mr. Shinra… you've changed."

Rufus looked back at her, a look of surprise on his face. "Have I? What do you mean?"

She paused again, trying to find the right words. "Well, when you were head of ShinRa, you said you would rule the world with fear. What happened to that?"

For a moment, the president seemed a little distracted. He took a deep breath and stood up and began to pace the room slowly. "There are many sins that I must atone for. I figured I should start by putting a stop to Faust's evil plan…whatever that may be…"

Yuffie looked at him, admiring this vision of a man who was working so hard to correct all that he had made wrong. She stood up and held out her hand toward him, an earnest smile on her face. "You're a good man, Rufus Shinra. And I can honestly say that I'm proud to be working for you."

Rufus paused a moment before taking her hand and shaking it. "Thank you, Yuffie. It means a great deal to me." Yuffie nodded and departed, leaving him to his thoughts. Rufus looked at the pile of papers he had compiled about the warehouse and looked at one of the pictures of the ruined ShinRa building. His eyes began to cloud over as he remembered the day it had collapsed, with him still inside. All the memories of that day came back to him, and he suddenly felt a rise of anger inside him.

He put the photo down and closed his eyes, trying to keep calm. "I will repair the damage I have caused," he said to himself. His blue eyes were rimmed with a strange red tint when he opened them. "No matter what the costs…"

After Yuffie came out from the basement, she headed for the stairs but was stopped when she heard Elena's voice.

"Hey, Yuffie!" Elena poked her head around the doorway to the living room. "Rude and I are watching a movie, wanna join us?"

"Oh, um, I'm just gonna go on to bed," said Yuffie. "A lot of stuff has happened today, it's made me really tired."

Elena frowned. "Well, alright, suit yourself. Hey!" she called to Yuffie again, just as she started up the stairs. "How about tomorrow you and me go out and have a girl's day out? Sound good?" When Yuffie gave her an odd look, she shrugged and said more quietly, "It's just, I used to be the only girl around here, so it's rare that I get to go out and do 'girl stuff,' you know?"

Yuffie looked a little surprised, but then she smiled. "Yeah. That sounds great!"

"Great!" Elena smiled back and went back into the living room.

Yuffie turned and hurried up the stairs. She was glad she could help Elena, but right now, after everything that happened in the past few days, she figured a good night's sleep would do her good. She had so many things to think about; the assassin, Henry Nightfellow…and Reno. Oh, she didn't want to think about Reno right now. Her relationship with him was complicated enough without everything else that was going on.

She was almost relieved when she reached the top of the stairs, thinking she would finally have a chance to rest. But before her foot reached the top step, she suddenly froze. As if he knew she was thinking about him, Reno was waiting for her in front of her door.

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A/N: And now we get to one of the most challenging chapters to write... but you'll just have to wait and see! I'm sorry!! Please continue to read and review, even if it takes me forever to update!! Your reviews are my fire, the more I get, the more I want to write!


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys! I'm back! Sorry this chapter took so long to finish, it was hard for me to get it just right. I had a little help from my friend, who is a master of smut. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and I'll try to have the next chapter finished sometime during the Christmas break. Until then, please keep with me, I'm so happy so many of you are enjoying this story!!

Chapter Eleven

Yuffie felt a lump in her throat as she stared at him, afraid to go any closer to him for fear of what he might do. He simply looked at her, his face wearing an expression that seemed lost. He waited for her to say something, but she just stared, trying to keep her surprised expression under control. Finally he cocked his head to the side and said, "Can we talk? In here?" he added, jerking a thumb toward his room. Yuffie wanted to say no; she wanted to just ignore him and go straight to bed. But something about the way he asked her, the sincere look in his eyes… she knew he probably wanted to apologize.

"Yeah, sure…" She followed him into his room and he held the door for her, shutting it behind her. A mental image of Reno wearing a maniacal grin and hissing, "Alone at last!" then advancing toward her suddenly flashed through her mind, but she waved the thought away; even Reno wasn't that disgusting.

She looked around with curiosity; it was the first time she had gone into his room. It was messy, as expected; dirty clothes littered the floor, but seemed to gather in mostly one corner of the room. The bed was unmade, and the dressers and nightstand seemed to be covered with all sorts of strange items, probably keepsakes from past missions. There were a couple of materia as well, but they were only the common, easy to find kind.

She was beginning to wonder about when the last time she went on a materia hunt was, but was interrupted from her thoughts when she felt Reno's large, warm hands rest on her shoulders. She was about to say something objectively, but the sudden warmth that enveloped her from behind as he wrapped her in an embrace stopped her. She remembered the night before when he had held her and comforted her after she had almost been raped. Her body relaxed as he embraced her, stroking her arms and filling her body with warm comfort. In that moment she felt that she wanted to stay in his arms forever…

"I'm sorry, Yuffie," he said quietly into her ear, making her shiver slightly from his hot breath on her neck. "I never meant to upset you. It's just been so hard…to admit this…"

"Mm…Admit what?" she breathed, his hands now running around her exposed waist.

"My feelings for you…" he nuzzled her neck, his lips lightly touching her skin. "I think I…might've fallen for you…"

Those words brought Yuffie back to her senses and she pulled away, turning to face him. Her face was red and flustered, and she looked at him with disbelieving eyes. "You--you mean…you lo--" She couldn't bring herself to say the word. It couldn't be true; her goal to find her true love… it was nonsense! There was no way such a silly ambition could ever come true! Could it…?

"I love you, Yuffie," Reno said simply, his soft, blue eyes not looking away from her for a second. "I don't know how it happened, or when. But…all I know is that these feelings can't be ignored. They're real, and… I want to share them with you. If you'll have me." He extended his arms toward her, beckoning her into them again.

She stared at him, still unable to accept his declaration of love. "No way… I wanted it to… but it wasn't supposed to be… I…" She looked down at her feet, trying to find some reasons to contradict him. "But…why me? I'm nowhere near as attractive as Tifa or Aerith. I'm so plain."

"I think you're beautiful," he responded softly, but she was still afraid to look at his face.

"But I'm just an annoying little girl, nobody ever wants me around."

"I do. I enjoy your company. Haven't you noticed that I spend all my time with you when I can?"

Yuffie closed her eyes tightly, trying to find some way to make him change his mind. There was just no way someone like him could ever fall for someone like her. "But you can't love me! I'm just a nobody! I can't do anything right, and… oh, I'm just not good enough for someone like you!" She suddenly felt very childish again, and turned away from him to hide her embarrassment.

"Who says you're not good enough?" she heard him ask. "Is that what you're worried about? That you're not worthy?" He paused to let her say something, but she stood still, waiting for him to continue. "Well, that's funny. 'Cause I was afraid I wasn't good enough for _you_."

"What?" She looked up, surprised by what she was hearing. "Good enough…for me?"

"I was afraid you thought of me as some sort of immature animal. But you don't, do you? You like me for who I am. Just as I love you for who you are."

Her head was beginning to spin, her thoughts muddled and cloudy. She couldn't think straight anymore. As if he knew she needed some kind of final proof, Reno pulled her to him by her waist and put his other hand behind her head, pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss. All the jumbled thoughts in her head suddenly seemed to wash away from her mind, all her senses concentrating on the kiss alone. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, the pressure changing between their lips. His hand stroked her head gently, his fingers mingling between strands of her dark hair. A relaxing wave flowed from his touch throughout the rest of her body, her mind succumbing to the sleepy, pleasurable feeling. His lips parted from hers, only to caress her neck lovingly as the hand around her waist moved up her back and under her tank top, the tips of his fingers lightly brushing her skin and playing with the hook of her bra. Yuffie closed her eyes and let out a low moan, her hands resting against his chest, trying to keep herself from falling.

Reno slowly backed her toward the bed, all the while continuing to stroke and arouse her soft, white skin. Her knees gave way when they hit the side of the bed and she fell on her back on top of the sheets, Reno crawling on top of her. His lips touched her naval as his hands pushed her top over her head. It wasn't until he started pulling her shorts down that a sudden realization of what they were about to do sent a feeling of panic through her. She sat up quickly, the friction between her body and the bed causing her shorts to slide down to her ankles. Her arms automatically covered her breasts which were still hidden beneath her strapless bra.

"What? What is it?" Reno asked slightly out of breath, his face red and hot.

"Umm…" She hesitated, no words coming out. She now suddenly felt very foolish, and didn't quite know what to say.

Reno, however, seemed to know exactly what was wrong. "It's your first time. You're scared."

Yuffie's cheeks went red with embarrassment and she avoided looking directly into his eyes. Reno smiled and leaned over her to kiss her head. "Well, you know," he said, kissing her forehead, then her chin, "we can still stop--" her neck, her chest just above the breast, "--if you really want to." She shivered in response to his touch, each kiss spreading new warmth through her body where his lips touched her skin. The pleasurable feeling was too good to ignore, and she grabbed his arm to stop him from pulling away. "No…don't stop…" She looked him in the eyes to show him that she really meant it and she reached behind to unhook her bra, slowly removing it and revealing her small round breasts. Her face turned pink in embarrassment and she waited to see what he would do next.

For a moment, it seemed like Reno had frozen. He looked a little surprised, but not for long; his cool demeanor returned within seconds and he reached for her bare breasts, cupping his hands around them. She moaned as he began to fondle them, teasing her aroused nipples between his fingers gently. Yuffie closed her eyes and let the waves wash over her. No one had ever touched her like this before, and as his tongue slid over the bud of her right breast, his mouth closing around it, sucking gently, she felt a burning need for more. She kicked off her shorts, which were dangling around her ankles, and began to take off Reno's shirt. Once it was removed, he began to pull off her panties. Yuffie felt a nervous lump in her throat as she watched them slide down her legs until they were completely discarded. Now her body was completely exposed to him, bare and ready for him to take however he pleased.

Reno looked over her body, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. The object of his desire, every bit of her soft, white skin within his grasp; he longed to know every inch of it. Reno then noticed the anxious look in Yuffie's eyes as he began to undo his belt, and he realized that she was somewhat afraid of what he had underneath it, and of what he was going to do with it. He leaned over her and kissed her lips again, soft and gentle, to assure her and keep her fears at bay. Her body relaxed a little and she wrapped her arms around his neck, his kiss calming her fast heartbeat.

His hand slid down her naval and into the soft nest of curls between her thighs. She gasped in surprise as his finger stroked the soft bit of skin where no one had ever touched before. His thumb found the crux and began to rub her gently. She gasped and moaned as a wave of pleasure erupted from between her legs and spread throughout her body. She gripped a handful of his hair and tried not to scream; the sensation she was feeling was overwhelming. It was a little strange to feel his hand moving in between her thighs but the rushes of pleasure that emanated from his touch were more than enough to keep her from feeling uncomfortable. Just when she thought she couldn't hold it in anymore, he stopped and removed his finger. Her nether region had suddenly become moist, and she tried to catch her breath as looked at him, wondering why he stopped. It was then that she noticed he had discarded his pants and undergarments during her moment of ecstasy. She didn't have time to linger for very long, however; Reno kissed her on the lips again, gently and lovingly.

"Do you want to go on?" he asked her, sliding his hand up and down her thigh, his fingers coming ever so close to touching her _there_ again. She felt an aching from where his fingers had just been, and she found herself wanting him to touch her even more. Not just there, but all over her body; anywhere and everywhere.

Yuffie closed her eyes, concentrating on the soft strokes of his hands against her skin. "Yes…I want it…" she breathed, pulling him closer to him, her need growing by the second. Her shyness was beginning to fade; now, she wanted to feel him all over her body. He grinned and laid her down again, spreading her legs apart and moving between them. Her heartbeat began to race faster; were they really going to do this? She let out a small mangled cry as he slowly started to push himself into her; he smiled warmly and caressed her legs to let her know that he was being as gentle as he could.

It was a little weird feeling something moving inside her as he began to push against her, holding her legs up, his fingers digging into her supple thighs. Her face screwed up into a look of pain; she wasn't used to the size of his length. He moved in and out of her slowly, trying to help her get used to it. She gripped the sheets beneath her so tight her knuckles began to turn white and her body tightened against him.

"Try…to relax…" Reno stroked her thighs, pausing a moment for her, his words coming out in breathless sighs.

"Ah…ah…!" She gasped as the pain grew the deeper he went. She tried to relax her body, but the unfamiliar penetration made her feel uncomfortable. He started to move in and out, slowly and carefully so as not to hurt her. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling at first, but as he moved he brushed the crux of her nether region, springing the sudden bursts of pleasure he had spread when he touched her there before. Though the pain was there, the small waves of pleasure began to override the overall uncomfortable feeling. She started to relax more, moaning with each thrust that sent a shiver of delight throughout her small body.

She looked up at Reno, who caught her gaze and smiled at her, gasping slightly, beads of sweat beginning to form on his chest. Yuffie closed her eyes and let him work over her body, heating up as their climax began to build from the friction between their bodies. Although their sexual act was somewhat painful, she had never felt so good in her life. Her moans began to get louder, but she tried to stop herself for fear of someone coming upstairs and ruining the moment. She didn't know how much longer she could keep it up, she was going to explode at any moment. Reno seemed to move slightly faster, making it slightly more intense. Now she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from screaming.

Just as she opened her mouth to release her pent up reaction, their activity reached its peak and Reno stopped. A sudden wave of ecstasy washed over Yuffie and she felt like she was going to die in the very bliss of it. Reno pulled himself from her, letting out a loud, somewhat satisfied moan. Yuffie gasped for air, her breath coming out in unsteady gasps. She laid there, unable to lower her legs, trying to hold onto the feeling of their orgasm that began to fade as quickly as it had come. Reno practically collapsed on top of her, his mouth tracing the outline of her collarbone, tasting the sweet sweat that ran along it.

"How do you feel?" he asked, fondling one of her breasts in his hand in a sort of lazy manner.

Yuffie closed her eyes, wrapping her legs around him slowly. "So good…but, a little sore…"

He smiled into her neck and began to run his hands up and down her naval, brushing the very top of her nest of curls between her legs lightly, sending another shiver of pleasure through her aching body. "I'm sorry," he said, kissing her lips again. "It won't be so bad next time, I promise."

"Next time…?" Yuffie let him kiss her as she thought about what he just said. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. Just the other day, she was confused about how she felt about Reno and vice versa, and now they had suddenly become sleeping partners?

She felt her eyes grow heavy with sleep, but she could still feel his hands moving over her, gently stroking her skin and arousing it once more. She closed her eyes again, letting the good feeling cover her completely. "Reno?"

"Hm?" He answered, his face buried in between her breasts.

"Did you mean what you said? That you love me…"

He stopped and looked up at her, but she seemed to have fallen asleep. Reno reached over and pulled the blanket out from under her, trying not to wake her. He covered both of them up and gently moved her over to the pillows. She opened her eyes lazily, looking at Reno. "Did you?" she repeated, her hand wrapping around his own.

Reno took her hand and kissed it, his blue eyes looking into her dark ones. "Of course I did. Do you love _me_, Yuffie?"

Yuffie looked away from him for a moment, trying to find the right words. "For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why I made that promise with you. It's really a silly thing, but… I think I made it because… I wanted to be closer to you."

Reno cuddled next to her, smiling. "I think this is as close as we can get," he said in a somewhat joking way. Yuffie smiled and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, but gently. "Yuffie… What I said the other night, I meant it. Every word of it. I want to be the one to protect you. If you'll let me do that, I'll be more than happy."

Yuffie listened to him silently. She was reminded of the way he tried to protect her during their mission, fighting his way through many dangers just to make sure she was safe. She remembered the way he comforted her afterwards, and the words he said. He had always wanted to protect her, and now, he loved her. Yuffie's nose began to burn and she felt tears sting the corners of her eyes. _This is real,_she thought. _This is real love…_

She began to cry silently into his chest, which caused Reno to be alarmed. "Oh, I made you cry again! I'm sorry!"

"No, no!" Yuffie tried to wipe away her tears. "I'm just… so happy…" She smiled, a warm feeling growing in her chest. _It looks like things are going to get better from now on, _she thought. _Because I believe I found someone to share something with. Someone who loves me. Really loves me… _"Reno?"

"Mm?" he asked, stroking her hair gently.

She closed her eyes, a small smile spreading across her face. "…I love you, too."

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A/N: Mm, smut. I gotta tell you, it's not easy writing a good sex scene. If you liked that, just wait until I get to the wilder ones...heh heh. Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought!


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